Multimedia packaging specialist Impac has signed a 13m-plus pound deal for multiple DICOweb presses from MAN Roland, and has taken an option on five of the revolutionary machines.
As exclusively revealed on our online news service at printweek.com, Impac chief operating officer Lee Newbon was at Drupa today to sign the deal. He stated: Anyone who has a five-year capex plan really needs to examine it in the light of this machine its so revolutionary. And anyone who knows their print cant fail to be gobsmacked by this machine.

The first of Impacs DICOwebs will probably be installed on the continent, at one of its plants in Holland. It is slated for delivery by November next year.

Nick Toms, the Impac Europe board member responsible for paper CD packaging, is behind the project. Nick brought my attention to it, and Roland let us in to their secret bunker, Newbon explained. Both Nick and I were immediately struck by the opportunities this press has for our particular process of printing CD booklets.

As every music company produces CD books to the same size and using the same weight of paper, the DICOweb will allow us to mix and match customers products for economies of scale, he added.
Newbon believes the press will offer the group advantages because of its speed of makeready, and through savings in raw materials including paper and plates. By becoming an early adopter and development partner with Roland, Impac are also guaranteed a significant lead time over its competitors.
PPS chief executive Keith Gatfield said: I think the project fits perfectly with the type of product that Impac specialises in, and because they are technological leaders in pre-press and print, they make an ideal development partner. Their open minded approach can only benefit both groups.
CD booklets are currently printing at Impac plants using Roland R300 presses. Newbon quipped that he would be talking to Chris Watson [head of Impacs UK commercial print operations] about filling them up.
The precise configuration of Impacs initial DICOweb is still being hammered out. It is likely to be either four- or five-colour, and potentially with a longer cut-off than the existing machine.
Story by Jo Francis.