The Bristol-based litho printer installed the B2 five-colour press with coater into its new purpose-built factory in April. The firm says that the press will increase its speed of makeready and running speed.

“We bought the XL 75 to give us the ability to offer our services to a wider client base and extend our existing client base in the B2 market,” said managing director Chris Cooper.

“In certain markets clients tend to want to test a shorter run before they launch into full quantities, so it’s a service that we wanted to offer.”

The £1.5m press is specified with automatic colour and register adjustment system Inpress Control. This will cut the firm’s downtime and waste and optimise its productivity, according to Cooper.

Hampton Printing was the first UK print company to attain the ISO 12647-2 colour control standard via Heidelberg UK's accreditation scheme. The Instant Gate, Colour Assistant Pro and InkStar features of the press will help the firm to maintain its reputation for colour accuracy, said Cooper.

The all-Heidelberg house, a multiple PrintWeek Awards winner, decided to stick with Heidelberg presses. “We didn’t look at any alternatives because of the service we get from Heidelberg so it was a natural progression due to its excellent service and back-up,” said Cooper.

The 65-staff firm serves customers in the automotive, insurance, banking and finance industries, including many blue-chip companies. It plans to invest further to revamp its pre-press set-up in the coming months.