The new Galileo has replaced the companys two-year-old visible-light Galileo and will process Agfa thermal plates.

Keyline, which operates a 24-hour shift pattern, opted for the Galileo after it conducted a series of tests to see which system would be the ideal complement to its B1 six-colour Roland press.

Keyline managing director Neil Coxon said: "We do a great deal of high-quality brochure work and felt that the Galileo gave the best quality, especially with the fine screen rulings we need. We do up to 425 screen."

He said Keyline had an excellent relationship with Agfa and had been impressed by the Galileos resolution of 3,600dpi.

"We are in the top end of the quality market. The beauty of CTP is that we get a first-generation dot and rulings that couldnt exist with conventional film. In fact we only take film when we have to now and really notice the difference and thats a cynical printer talking," said Coxon.

The firm gets around 12 plates per hour from the CTP system and thanks to high levels of press automation can makeready in around 20 minutes.

"On some jobs we can compete with the low run lengths associated with digital. But the point is that you need both elements CTP and the press," said Coxon.

Keyline, which has 50 staff, was a typesetting and repro bureau until it bought Team Valley Offset four years ago.

Story by John Davies