New printing technology is saving the environment as well as saving money.

Littlehampton-based Kittiwake Developments, which produces vital oil test equipment used by half the world's shipping fleet, had to update its manuals on a regular basis.

The manuals also needed to be customised for most of the world's oil companies.

But managing director Chris Leigh-Jones realised savings could be made by switching to Digital printing, which makes it possible to cost-effectively print a handful of copies.

He said: "The manuals are subject to regular updating to take account of such things as health and safety issues and mergers within the oil industry.

"They are also produced in relatively small numbers, about 20 or 25 at a time.

"This was not an economical option before the advent of digital print.

"Now, however, we can have exactly the number we need with no waste of either money or materials."

Brighton-based XPS prints Kittiwake's on-board oil analysis kit user instructions manual, produced in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

XPS specialises in a print-on-demand service that is used by a wide range of local and national organisations.

Managing director Graham Nicholas said: "Kittiwake is a textbook scenario - no pun intended!

"Digital printing is particularly suitable for short-run jobs where documents need to be updated on a regular basis - Kittiwake combines the two.

"It's vital that the user instructions are kept bang up to date so it makes good sense to print just the number of copies needed at any given time."