A home counties print finisher will take the ST 400 that is due to appear at Ipex in the Heidelberg post-press zone in Hall 8, and Avalon Finishers will take the UKs first officially imported production model.

The fully-automatic 14,000 books-per-hour ST 400 uses a shaftless architecture that is common in web press design, but new to finishing.

The retro-fittable feeders use a drum design and can be fed either horizontally (flat pile) or vertically (spine down).

In line with Heidelbergs plan to harmonise operator interfaces as a prelude to launching workflow solutions for the whole print process, the ST 400 has an operator interface that shares elements with Speedmaster presses.

"Its conceivable that a press minder could operate this line, and vice versa thats our dream," said Jrgen Rautert, Heidelbergs newly appointed president of post-press.

Initial estimates put the price of the ST 400 stitcher at about 25%-30% more expensive than its sibling, the ST 300, in the Heidelberg stable.

But Chris Fewings, head of Heidelbergs UK finishing division, said the price would be less important than a "dramatic" return on investment gained from "50% faster set-up and 20% more output".

Story by Karen Charlesworth