“We needed a more robust guillotine that could handle the wide range of commercial print we produce," said managing director Iain Stewart.

Stewart bought the £17,000 machine because of its build quality and staying power. It replaced an EBA guillotine.

“I've had Polars before, and I used to work for Heidelberg selling the machines, so I know what they are like. They have a great build quality.

“But they also have good residual value, so in a few years' time it will still be worth some money as opposed to lesser machines.”

Stewart, who bought the Poole-based firm two years ago, typically handles stocks from 100gsm to 350gsm for national companies, local businesses and some walk-in trade.

“We do everything from business cards to brochures and make a turnover of £250,000. The new kit won't add to that – people don't give you more work just because of a shiny new guillotine.

“But it makes doing that work much easier. We have taken both tungsten carbide and high-speed steel knives so we can choose the right blade for the job.

“The knife-changing system is good and easy to use,” added Stewart, whose company operates flexible days with two full-time and two part-time staff.

The Polar 66 Eco is a low-cost model targeted at digital houses and small and medium-sized response printers or inplants.

Billed as a “robust workhorse”, it has 198-programme capacity for commonly used jobs and a 5.5in screen.

Cutting programmes can be generated manually or via stored programmes that can be recalled by barcode reader. Knife adjustment and change is simple and LED lights show the cutting line.