The new Ricoh, a toner press fitted with optional matt fuser for improved print on uncoated substrates, has joined in March Blackmore’s 2022 £1m purchase of a Komori GL540 Advance and 2021’s £1.5m GL540 Hybrid press.

To round off the investments, Blackmore has also made plans to invest in solar energy within the coming months.

The two new litho presses were selected for their value for money and alignment with the company’s environmental targets, according to Andrew Robbins, Blackmore’s managing director.

He told Printweek: “The conventional vegetable-based inks and water based coatings this press uses, alongside the excellent efficiency of the production, offer true value for money, particularly on coated stocks.”

Adding that the Advance’s new Baldwin GX6 IR drying system has significantly reduced energy consumption alongside the Hybrid’s predominantly UV drying, Robbins said the press’ versatility had been a boon to business.

He said: “The new machines have opened up significant new business opportunities, both for packaging products as well as a wide range of high-quality print.”

The new litho machines replaced a Koenig & Bauer four-colour press and an older Heidelberg Linoprint digital press.

Robbins added that while the new machines have meant a jump in productivity, energy consumption has actually dropped by 25%, factoring in the firm’s additional investment in an efficient variable-speed compressed air system.

The investment was part-funded by Low Carbon Dorset in late 2022.

The compressed air system alone has been estimated to save the firm up to 53 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions each year.

Blackmore employs 62 at its Shaftesbury site, turning over £6.5m.