The four-unit press, which is due to be up and running by the end of the month, features a 965mm web width and 625mm cut-off.

The system includes Goss DigiRail digital inking, Autoplate plate-changing, and a Contiweb SH40 splicer with integrated infeed and WebCenter controls. It is capapble of producing up to 30,000 full-colour perfected sheets per hour.

Ralph Gumbel, general manager of Kohlhammer, said the company remained committed to the sheetfed, business but could "not deny the logic of the Goss Folia technology".

"Our key reason for the investment was to optimise our productivity for the A4 magazine and commercial market," he said.

"The capacity of the Goss Folia press, in comparison to a regular sheetfed press, is massive, but this wasn't our main incentive."

He explained that the company was pursuing a better cost-benefit ratio for A4 products.

Kohlhammer employs approximately 200 people and operates more than 83 sheetfed press units.