In a trading update announced this morning, Tangent, which recorded a 1% rise in revenue in the first half of the year, said that the economic climate had increased the opportunities for acquisitions.

Across the group, sales in Tangent's digital printing business Ravensworth continued to drop. The decline in the property market was cited for the on-going dip in sales at Ravensworth, which produces marketing collateral for more than 3,000 UK estate agents. As a result, it said it expects the first half to February 2009 to continue the downwards trend.

Despite the downturn, Tangent stated that Ravensworth had improved its market share through clients acquired from other businesses failing.

Short run printer Tangent On Demand began to pick up new business from customers around its London facility while Tangent Direct continued "to benefit from the current business climate."

Elsewhere in the group, it predicted growth in its digital agency Tangent One, which sealed its largest contract to date in the fourth quarter to build five transactional websites.