The B3 press was installed at the Carmarthen firm, sister operation to Wales' largest publishing house, Gomer Press, last week. The Laco unit is set to arrive in early February.

The firm was looking for a coating option for a B3 press, because its existing B1 coater was uneconomical for B3 work, so the firm went to see a Laco unit in operation in Germany.

"We were very impressed with the samples we were shown," said managing director Jonathan Lewis.

"It will enable us to put on a variable amount of water-based coating... and turnaround jobs faster as well as giving a better quality of work with matt or gloss finish."

The new 405,000 press and coater replaces a Heidelberg Quickmaster DI, according to Lewis, at pretty much the same monthly cost.