The firm will unveil the Anicolor inking unit (schematic pictured) for the Speedmaster SM 52 four-colour press at Ipex. It claims the unit will reduce start-up waste by 90% and increase press capacity by 25%.

The Anicolor has no inking zones, cutting make-ready times by up to 40%, and only 10-20 start-up sheets are required, depending on the job, because it has fewer rollers than a conventional unit.

The unit releases exactly the same amount of ink to the printing plate with each revolution for consistently smooth printing.

Temperature control and a chambered blade system speed up ink changes and reduce cleaning times.

"This is what we believe will certainly have an important impact in the A3 arena of presses," said director for engineering and manufacturing Jrgen Rautert. "We'll challenge the thoughts of those considering a short-run press who are not sure whether to go digital or offset. For those people, it's food for thought."