The system, developed for the waterless and keyless press by KBA-MetroPrint, means that rather than removing ink from a blade chamber using a spatula, the blade chamber is itself removeable from the printing units, saving time in the cleaning process.

The closed system means lower use of detergents for cleaning, which, according to the firm, leads to a reduced environmental impact, and the chambers can also be refilled.

KBA-MetroPrint development manager Rainer Endres said: "The all-round time savings per ink change alone are around 30-40%."

KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp added: "In today's print production there is even more emphasis on set-up times and productivity. Especially with smaller job sizes, every job change means lost time - and it does not matter whether only the printing plates are replaced or a complete ink change is made.