The Kidlington, Oxfordshire-based firm set Komori the challenge of installing and commissioning the Lithrone S29 – the first UK’s first five-colour with H-UV curing – inside a week.

“I’ve been astonished by the lack of issues with commissioning the press,” said Hunts operations director Matt Plant. “ I expected some, and there haven’t been any. Hats off to Komori for making it happen.”

The firm has branded the output from the H-UV machine Light Dry and produced a sample book highlighting the range of special effects possible on the press, which it produced on Komori’s demo machine in Utrecht, so it could promote its new capabilities straight away.

“We’ve already had a lot of requests,” said Plant. “It’s something our competitors just can’t do.”

In addition to the range of print and varnish effects it has also opened up a range of new substrates including plastics and foils. Plant said turnaround times for uncoated stocks have also been slashed by up to four days by eliminating standing time prior to finishing.

He added that the press combined high-productivity with the ability to offer added-value print.

“It’s incredibly efficient, even if you ignore what else is possible,” he said of the 16,000 sheet per hour machine. “We went for as much automation as possible with the operators in mind.  With Inkline cartridge inking and automatic plate loading it frees the operators up to concentrate on preparing the next job.”