The firm's order for a Lscher XPose! 190, ordered through UK agent Turning Point Technologies (TPT), comes as part of a 7m investment in a new factory on a 4.5-acre site at Washington on Tyneside.

Rather than punching the plate and then imaging it, or vice-versa, Simpsongroup's XPose! 190 will punch the plate and image at the same time.

Martin Mayo, TPT business development director, said: "The imaging reference point is the punch, which makes it very, very accurate. It also means that the accuracy of the image does not depend on the plate."

The point-of-sale specialist's machine will produce plates for a MAN Roland 900 XXL press, which is due to be installed at the firm's new factory in time for its opening in January 2006.

The machine, which will be the second XPose! of its size in the UK, will be able to image up to 20 plates per hour. Simpsongroup has yet to decide on a plate supplier.

London-based Augustus Martin installed the first XPose! 190 earlier in the year to provide plates for its KBA Rapida 205, which is currently the largest litho press in the country.

London large-format rival Capital Print & Display opted for an Agfa for its superwide Rapida 205, with the world's first Xcalibur VLF capable of producing plates in that format (PrintWeek, 16 June 2005).

Simpsongroup's investment follows a major large-format digital spend at the 8m-turnover group, which installed the UK's first Scitex Vision Corjet flatbed ink-jet press and a 3.2m Scitex Vision XLjet press early last year.

Story by Josh Brooks