Every five years, the university's Docklands-based print centre upgrades its machinery, leading to the installation of a Xerox Colour 1000 Press, two Xerox Nuvera 144 EA Production Systems and a Xerox 700 Digital Colour Press in December 2010.

Duplo's system, which includes a DSF-5000 intelligent sheet-feeder with barcode reader and anti-static feeding feature, SCC-PRO inline top and tail slitter and creaser, DBM-500/T bookletmaker and fore-edge trimmer and ASM-500 squareback device, followed.

Steve Marlow, head of print services, said: "We wanted to increase our production efficiency and offer a broader service and product spectrum to our customers. Our brief for the printing side was primarily focused on workflow speeds, improvement in print quality and creating cost efficiencies.

"With the finishing side it was more about finding improvements in automation and intelligence; we were keen to introduce variable-data printing in house as well."

Marlow added that the university was now looking to increase its targeted marketing through variable printing.

He said: "We have a mini prospectus project that we are developing, which we can run two-up on a digital sheet and stitch on the Duplo using the front barcode readers to ensure complete integrity with each book.

"We are also looking at QR codes as a form of marketing. These kinds of projects are now the future for this print facility, and we believe that we can drive the university forward with this new investment in production equipment.

The facility was formed in 2006 when the university's Barking, Stratford and Docklands facilities were merged.