KBA has launched a second member of its Karat DI press family, the 46 Karat.

The 46 Karat is an OEM version of the Ryobi 3404 B3 DI press that KBA has licensed from Presstek.

It joins the firms B2 DI press, the 74 Karat.

"Its a great opportunity to tap into a market we havent been in," said KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp. "We know in digital that we needed a B3 press. It will sell more than the 74 Karat simply because of the size of the market for B3."

KBA is finalising legal details with DI Solutions and Xerox which also sell versions of the 3404 DI in the UK.

In the meantime the firm is focusing on the Republic of Ireland. It has two deals in the pipeline for machines for printers in Dublin.

KBA hopes that the addition of a B3 DI press to its range will help build awareness of the 74 Karat and the companys offset presses.

"The technology is interesting enough to convince B3 printers to look at Karat and KBA," said Knapp.

KBA is finalising the price but promises it will be "competitive" with the Ryobi and Xerox presses and Heidelbergs Quickmaster DI Pro.

The firm was also working on its sales and distribution model, said Knapp.

As part of the deal with Presstek, KBA has also signed up to sell the firms Dimension range of platesetters.

* Presstek has announced a profits warning for the third quarter. Revenues are expected to be similar to the second quarter at 18m ($26m) but expenses will be higher.

Story by Barney Cox