A group from Asda and its contract publisher Publicis-Blueprint, including group production and IT manager Vincent Elsey (pictured), witnessed the milestone.

Publicis-Blueprint production director Melanie Clarke said her team had been "impressed by the speed and efficiency of the development" of the Sheffield plant, where production testing began on the first press on 31 March.

"Producing our work here and to the standard that has been achieved, so soon after the first press has been commissioned, is a further achievement by all those involved and we congratulate them accordingly," Clarke added.

Nick Shorthose, Polestar account manager, said: "We were delighted that the first commercial work on the press was for one of our key accounts, with whom we have an excellent longstanding relationship."

The milestone comes three and a half weeks after the plant beat its own deadline at the eleventh hour to get ink on paper by the end of March.

Polestar group operations director Mike Young said: "Our thanks go to the employees at Sheffield and all the suppliers who have worked with us to meet this target. It is a fantastic achievement, resulting from true team work."

Story by Josh Brooks