Stoke and Oldham Councils bought the entry-level kit to supply their four-colour presses, both of which are run at in-house sites.

Aimed at the B3 (2-up) market, the platesetter has a maximum plate size of 420x550mm and a minimum of 250x250mm, with an imaging speed of up to 26 plates per hour.

Apex previewed the kit at its open house, held at its temporary headquarters in Hemel Hempstead.

Joint managing director Bernard Parker said the event, which he dubbed a “Northprint for the South”, was a success. Parker said he was looking forward to Northprint, where the DPX2 would be exhibited to a wider audience for the first time.

Apex, whose principal showroom was badly damaged in the Buncefield oil depot explosion in late 2005, sealed a second sale at the open house event when 30-year-old family-run business Leeds Graphic Press finalised an order for a five-colour SRA2 format press.

Leeds Graphic Press managing director Philip Stead (pictured) said: “We have had increasing demand for larger-format, longer-run colour work from our customers.”