The new device was installed at the end of November at the Welwyn Garden City premises of the company, which specialises in POS, exhibition and display graphics.

The investment was backed by a £50,000 grant from the Regional Growth Fund, a government scheme intended to drive growth and create long-term employment opportunities.

“It’s really a very simple process. A lot of banks don’t offer it, but ours, HSBC, does,” said joint managing director Geoff Rawlings. “As part of the deal we were required to take on two new members of staff who will be working on the new Screen machine.”

The W3200UV HS, which has a list price of £270,000, has replaced a Truepress Jet W1632UV, the first installed in the UK.

The investment will increase the company’s production capacity by 50%. Rawlings said the investment was intended to up productivity while maintaining quality: “It was all about the speed and quality," he said. "The Truepress Jet W1632UV has been superb, but we needed a faster machine to keep up with demand — which is why we went for the HS specification.”

The Jet W1632UV was traded back to Screen as part of the purchase deal.

The W3200UV HS has also enabled Best Digital to win work in new markets. The company has recently completed a 500-sheet run polypropylene label job for a food brand customer Lovepickle.

“We have also picked up a couple more contracts from retail clients. This machine means we can now compete with the Onset-type companies,” added Rawlings.

“The white ink capability, for example, delivers perfect back-up white for printing on coloured and transparent materials.  It’s also proving remarkably flexible across a wide range of work, from small-format packaging to large-format wall panels.” 

According to the company, the fact that its machines use the same Truepress inks enables it to guarantee consistent colour on jobs produced using both printers.

Best Digital has a turnover of nearly £2m and now employs 12 staff.