The coater, which was installed at the end of summer, was supplied by Renz. Precision acquired it in order to expand its offering to trade buyers.

Precision chief operating officer Andy Skarpellis said: “We had been looking at ways to provide protection to printed jobs as well as add value. We already had lamination capabilities, but flood UV offered a fast, affordable and more eco-friendly alternative.

“We wanted something that was dynamic with green button technology and cold UV lamps [and] that could be set up and left to run unmanned, so the operator is freed up to run other systems.

“We went to Belgium, saw it [an Argos F400] in action, and were impressed.”

The machine coats documents in a layer that protects it from scratching and fingerprints, using cold UV lamps to deliver a 50% power saving over heat systems. It is capable of working at up to 65m/sec and its curing system is ozone free with no need for extraction.

Precision expects to see a return on investment within 12-18 months, having installed the coater just ahead of its peak demand period of September to December.

“We expect it to be running at a minimum of 80% capacity,” said Skarpellis. “We are already seeing a real impact on our ability to complete fast-turnaround short-run work quickly.”