Europe's first Fujifilm Jet Press 720 press installed at Austrian POP printer Arian

Austrian POP and POS printer Arian has been revealed as the first European installation of Fujifilm's B2 digital press, the Jet Press 720.

The firm will use the machine for producing short-run small format posters, leaflets and flyers for its retail customers across Europe.

"In the last few years we have completely transformed the business into a logistics company," said chief executive Stephan Kollegger.

"We specialise in FSDUs and most of those are filled with leaflets and flyers, which we also supply," said Kollegger. "Customers are demanding different versions of those not just on a country-by-country basis but also in different regions and cities in the same country. Our output is high volume but there are only a few copies required from each version of the artwork due to language and pricing versions."

He said the Jet Press 720 ideally suited the firm’s typical run length of 200-500 copies, whereas litho was only suitable for runs in excess of 500.

The firm started as a screen printer and runs four large-format five-colour automatic screen presses. It also has a digital department with a range of flatbed, roll-to-roll and reel fed machines from EFI Vutek and Agfa, including a Dotrix and an M-Press Tiger.

It employs 220 staff at its 21,000sqm site in Gleisdorf and exports 80% of its output.

"Arian is the first of three machines that we have installed in Europe to be announced, we will provide details of the other two shortly," said Fujifilm Europe head of communications Graham Leeson. "We have also secured another two orders.

"Interest is growing and for all sorts of applications, as we announce the other sites you will see the broad range of applications being served."