Foster said the new very large format (VLF) press will be installed in October next to the company’s two Rapida 64-inch presses - a five-color conventional and six-color UV - at its 46,000 sq ft facility.

In an interview with PrintWeek, Tim Blackburn, president of Foster Printing - which was founded by his father back in 1998 - said most of the company’s work is trade, meaning they work with small format printers who outsource their larger jobs to Foster.

Foster’s business has been strong in recent years in part because of the trust built into these business-to-business relationships. "These printers know that if their client needs to do a run check at a facility, we won’t go behind their back and hand out a business card with an offer to go direct," he said. 

In recent years Blackburn said, "We’ve seen a rise in larger point of sale displays," adding many of his company’s corrugated cardboard packaging customers are also expressing interest in larger formats.

The new Rapida 205 VLF press will feature its own color management console as well as the KBA Densitronic Professional closed-loop color control system. All three Rapida presses will communicate via the KBA Logotronic management system to provide up-to-the-minute data on jobs, workflow, throughput, and quality.

In addition to the new press, Foster has also invested in a new fully-automated platesetter for the computer-to-plate department giving Foster the ability to produce both 64-inch and 81-inch plates, as well as a new automated cutting system.

"All of these purchases feature automated systems that will help us turn jobs quickly from pre-production, to press, to post-production," vice president of sales Kris Blackburn, Tim’s brother, added in a press release.

"Key to allowing this type of growth was the move to our new facility. It has been wonderful and has allowed us to grow our business even more. We have the space to facilitate this addition and keep our work flow productive and efficient."