Douglas Printers, Wigan, has announced the installation of a Ryobi 522HE and a DPX polyester-based computer-to-plate system. The used machinery package was purchased from Apex Digital Graphics, the UK’s official Ryobi distributor.

The 522HE press replaces an aging manual version of the Ryobi two-colour, bringing with it significant benefits in terms of speed of make-ready. “The level of automation on the new machine is wonderful,” said Cyril Bennett, Managing Director of Douglas Printers. “Couple that with the speed and accuracy of plate production on the DPX, and we have been able to become significantly more competitive.”

The DPX System images onto polyester-based plates in either portrait or landscape, due to its dual roll capacity. It replaces an A B Dick system which was only able to hold one roll of material. The DPX makes plates for other presses at Douglas Printers which include a portrait Ryobi, and A3 Hamada, and a single colour Heidelberg GTO. “Our plate costs have been reduced by over 30% with the DPX,” said Cyril Bennett. “Not only have we eliminated the waste involved when changing rolls, as we had to with the A B Dick system, but the plates are accurate, and the fit on the press is almost perfect as soon as we put the plates on.”

Mr Bennett is also delighted with the print quality of the Ryobi 522HE landscape-format SRA3 press. “The quality that we get from the new combination of DPX and 522HE is exceptional. Because the register of the plates is so good, and the semi-automatic plate loading helps to ensure that we get them mounted on the press in the correct position, our run-up wastage has been reduced significantly. The new equipment allows us to print more jobs per day.”

Established in 1970, Douglas Printers handles a wide range of general commercial print, including leaflets and brochure work, much of it in four-colour. The company employs a team of seven.