UPM-Kymmene claims to have produced a revolutionary coated newsprint grade for coldset web offset printing, and has extended its digital range to include mechanical and photogloss grades.

The firm claims its coated newsprint grade, UPM Pro, bridges the gap between coldset and heatset printing by providing sharper images, stronger colours, less strike through and less set-off. Technical services manager Mark Spreckley said: "It is the first coated paper developed specifically for coldset printing. There are others around but these have been developed from a heatset grade."

Made at its recently converted French Stracel mill, UPM Pro has been designed for newspaper supplements and four-colour advertising material. Spreckley said: "It will save printers money by allowing supplements to be printed in-house rather than send them to a heatset printer. It means they can print the supplements on their presses during the day when they are normally stood idle."

UPM has also cracked the difficult task of producing a mechanical grade for electrostatic digital presses, such as the Agfa Chromapress. UPM print engineer Gerd Carl said the mechanical grade offers advantages over woodfree papers including enhanced readability, less show through and good bulk. Developed for newspapers, advertising supplements and books, the mechanical grades will allow printers to insert a couple of pages and it will look like the rest of the copy.

The company hopes to launch a coated and uncoated version later this year as part of its UPM Digi range.