The York-based commercial printer bought the 100ppm device, which was installed in January, from Leeds-based reseller Zerographic for £100,000.

The sheetfed SRA3-format digital toner press can print on stocks from 52gsm up to 350gsm and offers finishes such as pearlescent, metallic and textured.

Wood Richardson also considered alternatives from Ricoh and Sharp but found the Xerox device to be the best fit for its requirements.

Sales director Alan Coulson said: “Demand for our digital print service has grown rapidly over recent years and we wanted to add to our existing digital print capability by investing in the very latest technology available.

“We had digital in-house already with a Xeikon 5000 but that’s a bit of a different market. We’ve tried to open up to a smaller market and that’s where we’ve seen the growth already; the Xerox Versant 2100 printer has definitely helped us with the smaller print runs, full colour and variable data.

“The quality and flexibility offered by the Xerox means that we can offer customers a wider range of digital options at very competitive prices, helping them to meet their deadlines on smaller print runs while still producing creative, eye catching pieces of print.”

Alongside its two digital machines, the business also operates two litho presses, a six-colour-plus-coater Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 and a two-colour Heidelberg Quickmaster, and offers in-house finishing services including cutting and creasing, laminating, folding and drilling.

Wood Richardson was established in 1905 and has been run by the Richardson family since the 1920s. The company, which has 27 staff and a turnover of just under £2.5m, produces items including business cards, booklets, leaflets, magazines, menus and posters for a wide range of customers throughout Yorkshire.