The firm is installing an eight or more colour SM 74 each month, nearly double the volume of previous years. "We're seeing more industrial printers, be they B1, B2 or even B3," said UK sales director Jim Todd.

Heidelberg launched the Speedmaster 52-8-P-H, the first 4/4 B3 press at Drupa in May, and sold the first machine to Healeys of Ipswich.

Todd offered the definition of an industrial printer as a site combining pre-press, print and finishing under one roof that runs double or even triple shifts.

"If you run double or triple shifts then cost of print becomes more of a focus," he said, adding that one-pass printing was a way of cutting cost of print.

Since the launch of the Speedmaster 102 long-perfector in 1993 Heidelberg has installed over 1,100 units in the UK over 110 machines. Many companies running the kit highlighted on the map run multiple machines, with several including Stephens & George, Stones the Printers, Eclipse and The Anton Group running three.

"The map shows sites, not the number of presses we couldn't get all the presses on the map," said Todd. Straight presses are still in demand, the firm recently taking a delegation of UK customers to see an XL 105 beta site in Germany. Beyond this, the company will announce further UK orders soon. The UK showroom machine will be installed next April.

Following its recent installation of a 10-colour 102, Westdale, which was signed for the machine at Drupa as the first UK customer, may now be beaten to it by another site (PrintWeek, 27 May).

Story by Barney Cox