Paul Kelly, production manager at the UKHO, said the key to the investment was the ability to handle a greater number of shorter print runs.

"We often print two to three jobs per hour, producing around 400 plates each day," he said. "Our CTP device was due an upgrade and, as we were close to full production capacity, we decided to evaluate our whole pre-press process to ensure we could cope with increasing volumes."

The UKHO also switched to Fuji's low-chemistry Brillia HD LH-PJE plates as part of the upgrade and Kelly said that they had only considered suppliers that could help minimise chemistry usage.

"We looked at all the options that would allow us to increase productivity, but we were also keen to minimise our chemistry usage. Fujifilm's low-chemistry option ticked all the boxes - not only does it allow us to minimise waste and chemistry, it saves us money as well, as the total cost of ownership is minimal," said Kelly.

Following the installation of Fuji's XMF workflow the goverment department, which produces a range of nautical charts to support the Royal Navy and merchant shipping, has adopted soft proofing, which Kelly said would "greatly improve internal approval processes".