The 20-staff firm, which has a turnover of just over 5m, will continue to run independently, but its MIS and pre-press workflow will be updated to match the Optimus and Creo systems used by Talisman.

Colour Works managing director Tom Lipman (pictured left) described the deal as a match made in heaven. He said: "I couldn't see myself going forward without further backing."

The two firms have been in discussion since the start of the year, initially over Colour Works, which has a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102, providing B1 work for Talisman, which runs three B2 Speedmasters at its Rainham site.

"Initially it was an enquiry about capacity but talks went deeper when we saw how good the firm was," said Talisman managing director Dave Reynolds (pictured right).

Talisman, which had sales of 9m, is part of the DSI group, which includes DSI Digital, one of the UK sites that runs two iGen3s.
Colour Works has a digital department, which runs two Xerox DocuColors and a DocuTech.

Lipman said he hoped to benefit from software skills within the group to develop software for true print on demand applications.
Colour Works, which counts Reuters as its largest customer, also specialises in the higher education market and works for LSE and Surrey University.

Reynolds said that Talisman and the DSI group had ambitious plans to grow the business, including investment, the next stage of which will be the adoption of JDF.

Story by Barney Cox