The full-colour cards have been sent to accountancy firms across the UK and it is the first time the products have been printed digitally on Prime Litho's HP Indigo 3050. Traditionally the company had used offset litho to print Mercia's range of marketing collateral for accountants.

Mercia is a company that provides training and marketing material for the accountancy sector.

"The decision to go digital meant that lead times came down and that we didn't need to do any ink mixing on the six-colour press," said Prime Litho managing director Jon Tolley.

He added that the production process was made easier as Mercia was "open and willing to learn about digital print".

"It has been good having a client that can listen," he said. "It was more of a case of tweaking the job, rather than a client wanting to make big changes."

According to Tolley, the Nottingham-based firm's investment in the 3050 has produced interest from a range of buyers.

"It's really nice to go into agencies and talk about what we are offering, but they've come knocking on our door too," he said.

Prime Litho has also invested in image tailoring software Direct Smile and mixes and matches work with its litho presses. The company has two Heidelberg SM 52s and a Heidelberg Quickmaster.

"We often combine the two technologies and sometimes we'll print on litho and personalise material on the 3050," said Tolley.

Prime Litho was founded in 1988, has a workforce of 15 and a turnover of 1m.

Story by Philip Chadwick