The Cardiff-based firm will bring in the new machine in December, replacing two other Speedmasters, both of which are more than 10 years old, along with a new Heidelberg Suprasetter, mainly in support of an All Wales printing service framework contract that it secured last year.
The four-colour-plus-coater CX 75 will link up with Spectrum’s pre-press department using its Prinect workflow control, and it has also been configured with EasyControl spectral measurement for consistence of quality and Intellistart 2.
Managing director Lawrence Corria said he had particularly liked the machine’s double circumference impression cylinder, which allows it to take substrates ranging from 0.03mm to 0.6mm in thickness, along with its automated colour control and smaller footprint.
Corria said: “This had the best features of the XL 75 but at more of an attractive price range, with features that all fell into what we were looking at really. With the bigger cylinder it means we can take a wider range of stocks and there’s a lot of roller power that you wouldn’t get with a standard SM 74, so it ticked all the boxes for us.”
Launched in April, the CX 75 prints at top speeds of 15,000sph and at 2.8x2.1m is Heidelberg’s narrowest B2 press. It has a fully automated wash programme and, connected with Prinect, makereadies are said to be at less than five minutes.
“Prinect was something that looked attractive to us and staying with Heidelberg and the Prinect workflow was important. We’ve always been a Heidelberg house so didn’t want to change,” added Corria.
“This is the first time we will be implementing proper workflow between the two [pre-press and press], software is all brand new, so we hope they do a good job of speaking to each other.”
20-staff Spectrum has invested heavily over the past 18 months, taking its first digital machine, a Ricoh Pro C9100 last Christmas, along with a laminator, and bringing in a Duplo 600i Duetto Booklet System last May.
Cheltenham-based The Color Company was the first in the UK to take the CX 75 earlier this month, followed soon after by Willersey-based Vale Press, who will install the first LE-UV version early next year.
