According to newspaper industry sources, the Canary Wharf-based newspaper group, which contract prints The Independent at the 12-press plant, has picked the German press giant over rivals KBA and Wifag.

It is not clear how many new presses will be installed at Watford, although sources said that not all of the existing MAN Roland Colorman 35 presses will be replaced.

News of an upgrade for the plant, which also contract prints regional titles, has been widely expected and is the final piece in the jigsaw for Trinity Mirror to take its national titles full-colour.

The value of the order at Watford is not known, although Trinity Mirror accounts released in March estimated that around 55m would have to be spent at Watford to take it to full-colour printing.

Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey (pictured) also recently announced that an 83m spend, to focus on Watford and Cardonald Park, would achieve full-colour by 2008.

This is on top of the 110 already spent on Goss presses and upgrades at several of the group's regional print sites and a 45m Wifag press upgrade at its Oldham plant.

The deal would be another major coup for MAN Roland, whose Augsberg facility in Germany is gearing up to build 22 triple-width Colorman presses for News International's 600m full-colour overhaul, and two for Johnston Press at Sheffield and Portsmouth.

It also completed, in record time, the installation of three Berliner-sized presses with a 470mm cut-off for The Guardian's recent move to the European format.

Both Trinity Mirror and MAN Roland refused to comment on the speculation.

Trinity's road to full colour
- May 2001: 17m deal with Goss for Cardiff site
- April 2002: 60m deal with Goss for Midlands site
- November 2004: Invests 45m in Wifag press at Oldham with GMG
- July 2005: Sly Bailey costs full-colour move at 83m
- September: Deal with MAN Roland mooted