Aspect boosts plate capacity with £800,000 Screen buy

The move is part of a £800,000 investment programme by the 30-staff parent company AE Simmons Group, which also includes Simmons Printers, to increase its print capacity.

Keith Williams, reprographics manager at Aspect Graphics, said the Screen investment came from a need to modernise its CTP setup and free-up one of the company's four staff.

"The fact the Screen PlateRite system is so much faster than our original machine, coupled with the fact we are regularly leaving it to run overnight, means we have comfortably increased Aspect Graphic's plate output by a third," he said.

The platesetter was specified with SAL4300II autoloader, stacking system and Trueflow v5 upgrade – a spend that has boosted platemaking output from 15 plates per hour to 21.

In addition to the Screen machine, sister company Simmons Printers has increased print production by 15% after investing in its second Heidelberg CD 74.

Four-staff Aspect is running the platesetter with Kodak Electra Excel plates with the option to move into imaging processless plates in the future.

Williams said: "The fact that we have the option of transferring to a processless operation in the coming months gives us the security of knowing that we will be able to cope with whatever is thrown at us."

The AE Simmons Group produces a range of magazines, brochures and commercial print.

It operates a range of kit that includes two four-colour Heidelberg CD74s, and a Kodak Nexpress digital press.