Delivery of the press to the company's new 10m East London plant is planned for the end of the first quarter next year. The first UK installation of the 205 will be at the end of this year, at Augustus Martin in nearby Bow.

The large-format specialist's 4m investment will be followed by the installation of what could be the first new-specification Rapida 105s in the UK, later in 2005. At present Capital is an all-Roland house.

Capital managing director David Gill said: "We feel that KBA technology is better than Roland. There's a better variety of materials for substrates in terms of thickness."

He said that the Rapida 205 was "one size up" from the Roland 900, but insisted that the deal was "not just about one machine".

"Training-wise, once our operators are trained on KBAs, they can jump on different machines at different times."

A bespoke CTP facility is being built by an unnamed supplier to cater for the super-wide press, but there are no further additions planned to finishing kit.

Gill also revealed two weekly promotion contracts for unnamed retailers worth 1m each, and additions to the production and sales team.

KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp (pictured on left, with Gill) said he was "delighted to have convinced David Gill and his technical team to choose KBA."

He described Capital's new 10m premises as "fantastic" and said: "It's a good-looking place. We're hopeful that it will become a showcase for KBA and Capital in the South."

He added that he was "in advanced talks" with several more printers over the Rapida 205, and that an announcement was expected within weeks. The huge press has a sheet size of 205x151cm.

Story by Josh Brooks