The installation completes a spend by the Somerset comapny totalling £2m this year, which saw it also buy a brace of five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 presses.

Peter Vallis, sales and marketing director, said: "The investment was really a question of what was being asked of us from our customers."

The printer anticipates the new Bizhub Pro will complement its litho offering and open up a range of short-run markets following the hike in demand for digital print.

Vallis said the kit spend has allowed the 50-staff printer to bring its digital work in-house resulting in "considerable" cost and time savings.

He said: "We're doing all sorts of work on the Bizhub at the moment and having the control of carrying it out in-house has really made the difference."

The company is expecting the digital area of the business to grow in the coming years but plans to use its current set-up to work alongside its litho battery.

"We can now offer a complete service that allows our customers to come to us with any demand and we can fulfil it," he said.

Wincanton Print's Bizhub Pro c6500e can output up to 65ppm in colour operation and can handle substrates up to 300gsm. It runs alongside the new XL 75 presses and a five-colour Speedmaster CD74.

Vallis added: "If you don't keep up with technology and continue to invest, it will catch you out."

Wincanton Print counts Specsavers, Aston Martin and the Met Office among its client base.