The company temporarily laid off all 36 staff last month, with instructions to return to work today (12 May).

However, Stephen Clancy and David Whitehouse, of MCR, were appointed joint administrators of the company yesterday and the Liverpool plant has ceased trading.

G&H bosses claimed they had no choice but to call in administrators because they did not have time to reduce the workforce and said they were about to lose £150,000 a month.

MCR is now seeking a buyer for the business, with a deadline for offers set for Friday. It will address staff and Unite at a meeting next Tuesday to discuss future plans.

Alison Jones, Unite regional officer, said: "Members have given everything to the company and obviously, for us, the best case scenario will be for a buyer to be found.

"However, the administrators have given us assurance that if it does close on Tuesday, employees will be able to claim unpaid wages for the two weeks they didn't work."

MCR sent out a business for sale notice yesterday, stating that G&H Web Offset had a turnover of £10.2m in 2008 and £7.7m in 2009.

The business has had a tumultuous few years, in which its Chorley plant closed twice in the space of 14 months, culminating in its final closure in March 2010 after losing £4m worth of work.

A statement from managing director Earl Hawley said: "It is with great regret that we have had to take this action and, apart from the loss of jobs, we are also mindful of the losses to our suppliers.

"We are now committed to forging ahead and re-investing in the future of the G&H Group."

G&H's other companies, including G&H Sheetfed and G&H Mail, are unaffected.