The firm has replaced its Heidelberg Polar 78ES with a Polar 78X (pictured), which was delivered just three days after being ordered.

"The new guillotine has a quicker and easier knife change together with a bigger screen containing more information, but it retains all the expected quality and robustness of the Polar brand," said joint owner Stewart Bateman.

The same weekend that the firm took delivery of the guillotine, it also installed a B2 Heidelberg Suprasetter A74, which it will use to expose Saphira chemistry-free plates.

"We had been toying with the idea of changing over because we wanted to lose the processor and disposal of the chemistry, which was messy and costing more each year," said Bateman. "The new equipment means we can achieve top quality, more productively and without chemistry.

The firm, which runs a five-colour B2 Speedmaster SM 74 and two-colour B3 SM 52, also installed a Eurobind 500 perfect binder last summer.