The Hampshire-based company purchased the first Speedmaster XL 105 in the country and is now hoping to lift some of its digital work into litho to give clients an improvement in quality.

The new machine replaces one of its two SM 74 B2 machines. It is intended to be used for 100- to 5,000-run work because of its faster makeready time and greater potential speed.

Ian Dollin, co-director of John Dollin Printing Services, said: The press should be up and running today and so far we’ve been impressed by the demonstrations that Heidelberg have given in their showroom. The press will reduce our paper waste, give us quicker makeready times and more accurate colour consistency.

The company will use the machine on double days when demand is high and envisages using about 16 sets of plates per eight-hour shift. It also ordered Suprasetter A 74 thermal device to run alongside an existing B1 platesetter. The company uses about 2,000 to 2,500 plates a month at the moment.

Dollin said: Customer reaction to our investment has been very positive. They know that with the Anicolor they will be getting a product that is produced with less waste and that it will be of a much higher standard than digital because of the inking system.

It means that, for colour work, one area of the sheet will be the same as another and the first sheet will be the same as the last.

John Dollin Printing Services was recently awarded FSC accreditation.