The group has installed around 20 in the UK, with another 17 on order. Most have gone to small and medium-sized firms.

The Palladio sells for 75,000-80,000, depending on configuration and ancillaries like Apogee workflow. The platesetter can produce 12 B2 plates an hour.

One user, Davin Archer of Scantech in East Sussex, said the Palladio was "the right size, fast, clean and for a first-off it went remarkably well".

"We can already see the results on press after only three weeks," he added.

The platesetter features automated plate loading and handling and a media cassette that keeps 50 plates online, plus flatbed design and horizontal storage of plates.