Carlton Cards has spent 3.7m on gear including a new five-colour Komori Lithrone 540EH.


The press with RP reverse printing unit and double coater is being built in its 5,000m2 Dewsbury plant, to be extended by 11,000m2 for 340 staff next year.


Development engineer Tim Bennett said: "We are centralising production and distribution, and the plant will have an annual capacity of around 200m cards next year."


The new press will be joined by another Lithrone 540 from its factory in Guiseley, 20 miles away. The 100 production staff from there will move to Dewsbury next year after the building lease expires, and the firm is to recruit more staff across the board.


The rest of the money went on two envelope machines and a high-speed packaging line. Carlton installed a Purup-Eskofot CTP system last year, which took its workflow 100% digital, and a Bobst B1 foil blocking press.