The two companies will work together in the fields of sales and development with the aim to offer a "single source" for all aspects of the print process within the graphic arts sector.

Norman Revill, managing director of manroland GB, said he was "personally delighted" that the company had a partner in the digital print sector.

He said: "We now have a unique offering with our litho services and our alliances with Océ and RedTie.

"Digital print is something that works hand-in-hand with litho technology and should be embraced. It is improving all of the time."

Gerd Finkbeiner, chief executive of Manroland, said the deal opened up "a very promising growth market" for the manufacturer.

He said: "Digital printing already has a market share that cannot be underestimated. The print volume in digital printing is growing dynamically, particularly for short runs.

"Many of our customers are investing in digital printing. This is the first concrete step in opening up new growth opportunities for Manroland and in securing a lucrative field of business for the long term, because the area of digital printing is a business that increasingly supplements industrial printing."

Sebastian Landesberger, head of the strategic business unit within Océ's production printing division, added: "The strategic alliance with Manroland offers us the ideal opportunity to firmly establish Océ inkjet technology in the graphic arts industry.

"In the coming years, we will utilize our leading position in Europe and North America to expand our business, particularly in Asia and Eastern Europe."