The Derbyshire-based company has switched to Fujifilm's Pro-V low-chemistry plates.

"Having trialled the system, it really is a case of less is more," said general manager Kirk Galloway. "Less chemistry, increased productivity and even better quality."

Production is handled by the firm's pair of Fujifilm Luxel V-8 platesetters, which were installed in 2008. The group's daily production is 1,000 plates, equivalent to 200 16pp sections, for its bank of KBA long perfectors.

"Pro-V lends itself to this high-volume environment," Fujifilm offset solutions product manager Sean Lane said. "There's no production penalty compared to the processed LP-NV plate and no need for replenishment."

He added that Fuji's low-chemistry violet technology worked well with high-volume customers because existing processors can be moved over to Pro-V. "It was designed to work with existing processors," he explained.

Lane added that the reduction in costs associated with buying and recycling chemistry brought many benefits.

He said: "While the environment is high on printers' agendas, you rarely find people who are willing to pay more for an environmental solution."

Although Pro-V and other low-chemistry and processless-type plate technologies were initially targeted at lower-volume users, the latest generation of plates are increasingly being adopted by those with higher volumes.

"High-volume applications where the plate can drop in with minimal disruption and with cost and environmental benefits have always been an intended market," Lane said.