Marcus Brailsford, managing director of the 34-year-old company, said that the Highwater CTP, which was supplied by Heidelberg, had "come up trumps over the past 10 years".

"However, we wanted to move to a thermal system because it is lower maintenance and allows us to run without chemistry, which fits with our environmental and health and safety stance," he added.

PPS will image Fuji Pro-T processless plates on the new platesetter, which will output plates for its Speedmaster SM 52-4 and Printmaster QM 46-2.

Brailsford said that, with lead times getting shorter, it was important for PPS to have the Autoload facility, which allows the printer to leave the CTP running overnight.

The company, which produces letterheads, brochures and general commercial work, also plans to extend its Tharstern MIS in the next six months before establishing a JDF connection between MIS and pre-press within the next 18 months.