The new press, arriving on 1 March, will replace an older C2060 model at Sprintprint’s Preston site, taking up position alongside an existing AccurioPress C3070.

With the C4070 in place, Sprintprint will be up to full strength with a complement of current-generation presses, said Stuart Smith, the firm’s managing director.

“We will have the capacity to take more work on,” he told Printweek.

“A lot of our work is same-day service, so because the new machine will be even more reliable, we’ll have the flexibility we need.”

The new engine’s air-feeder will likewise prove useful, Smith added.

“It will help a lot with the stocks, whether NCR, 400gsm [card], business cards, things like that – it will help us a lot more. I think the 2060 was just getting a little bit tired, and that’s why we’ve gone for the newer model.”

While Smith talked to other suppliers, the purchase decision went to Konica Minolta for an earned reputation for reliable machinery and service.

“The price they gave us sounded good to me,” Smith said.

“It’s rare for us to be out for a part – their engineers manage to come out within four hours, and we carry a lot of stock and consumables here. Even though we do have two machines, we’re never down – and the quality is very good.”

As well as digital commercial print, Sprintprint also offers a range of wide-format work, such as vinyl labels, posters, and pull-up banners printed on its Mimaki CJV-150 inkjet printer, and has a four-colour Shinohara offset press for longer jobs.

Sprintprint employs a team of four at its ex-fire station printshop in Bamber Bridge, near Preston.

Back in 2012 there was a dramatic incident when workers renovating the site accidentally discharged a stockpile of phosphorous incendiary grenades from World War II, with Sprintprint forced to hire a chemical cleaning firm.