Hyway Printing Group will open its doors to UK rivals interested in learning about the waterless printing process after installing the worlds first 12-colour waterless press.

The firm unveiled the Mitsubishi Diamond 3000 series perfecting press to 300 guests, many of them rival printers, at its Surrey Quays plant in south-east London last Friday (12 October).

Hyway chief executive Alan Jones said waterless printing, and the 12-colour Mitsubishi, did "not represent any compromise".

He added: "It gives significant quality and speed improvements and from an environmental viewpoint it is light years ahead of conventional litho printing processes."

Hyway first contacted Toray in 1999 about waterless printing. Jones had visited several US printers using waterless presses, who were "very helpful".

However, he said UK printers using waterless had been less willing to discuss the process, which has led him to offer printers including competitors the opportunity to view Hyways installation.

Toray supplied temperature control and humidification systems for the press, plus press hall environment control and CTP waterless plates. It also converted the firms four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 to waterless last December and its six-colour Speedmaster a month later. Hyway was previously an all-Heidelberg house.

"Waterless is going to get a very strong grip," said Jones. "Alcohol will be banned here and Im very conscious of how US printers helped us."

Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses (MLP) UK sales director Roy Jenkinson said "a lot of mystique" surrounded waterless printing. "Its something of a black art and it makes the job of the manufacturers all the more difficult if the people that have it arent singing its praises."

Story by Gordon Carson