The Liverpool-based commercial printer has replaced a film imagesetter to free up more factory space at the firm's Brickfields site.

The 14-staff printer produces a range of short-run, four-colour business stationery, brochures and flyers and has funded the kit investment through a consumables deal with Heidelberg.

Express Offset managing director Bob Higham told printweek.com the deal agreement lasts for four years, with the firm anticipating using more than "1,000 plates a month".

He said: "The time is right; we are at a volume to justify the investment" and added the printer hopes to "cut costs, free up one man for other tasks" and to improve plate quality with the new platesetter.

The Suprasetter A74 can output up to 17 B3 plates an hour at a maximum size of 670 x 750mm.

"The system is semi-automatic but we are forward-looking and we like the fact it is upgradeable in terms of speed and cassette loading," said Mr Higham.

The company runs two Heidelberg presses, a two-colour GTO and a five-colour Speedmaster SM72.