Dominion’s return to Vutek has been a long time coming, with 26 years now passed since managing director Verity Clark’s father, founder Dominic Clark, invested in the company’s first digital press, a Vutek UltraVu 5300.

The return has been bittersweet, according to his daughter, who said she had shared many a coffee with her father discussing Dominion’s options for upgrading its workhorse press, an older Uvistar Pro 8.

She said: “Dad taught me from being knee-high that in print you need to invest to stay ahead of the competition.

“With the extraordinary speed and quality, it seemed the right fit to be going back to Vutek after all this time. The installation and commissioning of the machine was bittersweet, as Dad passed away earlier this year and never got to see the machine in situ. 

“Nevertheless, I’m excited to be adding the Vutek Q5r to our plant list and I intend to carry on his legacy of success through investment.”

The new press, she told Printweek, has such a high print speed that Dominion has doubled reel-to-reel capacity. With two Durst Rho 512s, and the £1m addition in 2021 of a Rho 2500 hybrid, Dominion now has a cutting-edge lineup, she said.

“With print, you have to keep investing,” she said, “because the machines are getting better and better all the time. The print industry moves so quickly – but you have to keep up with the competition.”

The new Vutek, installed at the end of March, was bought alongside a second Zund G3 XL digital cutting table to allow the firm’s finishing capabilities to keep step with its production speeds; Dominion’s total investment reached £500,000.

Dominion employs just over 40 staff.