The system has a sharp SquareSpot dot, which enables the application of Staccato FM screening.

The new system is driven by a Brisque 4 Impose digital workflow and has nearly three times the capacity to output plates than Venturas old system, which used a Dolev imagesetter to output film with a Brisque workflow.

"Its about quality not quantity," said Chris Johnson, pre-press manager at Ventura. "We have already done three jobs using 20 micron Staccato and we are very pleased with the results, especially on flat tints, which look like special colours," he added.

Ventura also acted as a beta testing site for the Spectrum proofing option on the Lotem 800 Quantum and after intensive trials has decided to buy it.

Ventura is a Heidelberg house with two 102 CD six-colour presses and numbers the John Lewis Partnership, UPS and Toyota Europe among its blue-chip clients. The equipment was bought from Creo UK.

Story by Anna Clarke