Troika Flipper features an FFEI made hardware add-on that fits onto HP DesignJet 5500 and 5000 printers, producing up to eight B1 sized duplex proofs per hour.

Troika managing director Phil Hall said: "The objective of the exercise here is for printers to be able to save a lot of time and money by automatically getting a double-sided proof out of an HP printer."

The system works by printing the first side of the proof from the paper roll, before automatically reconfiguring the printer as sheet-fed and flipping the sheet over to print the second side.

Troika has sourced double-sided reels of 42in wide 100gsm stock in 58m lengths for producing backed up proofs.

The link-up with FFEI was the result of talks at Drupa. FFEI's hardware already has a foothold in the US market, where it has sold more than 450 units.

The Wiltshire-based company is now on the lookout for dealers to sell the package, which it claims is 25% cheaper than rival products, at around 9,300.

The software was adapted from Troika's Versoproof double-sided proofing software which works with Epson's range of wide-format printers. The Epsons cannot support automatic duplexing, needing manual intervention.

"Automated production means that users can leave the unit unattended, with the potential to queue-up a series of jobs to be printed overnight," said Hall.

The first Flipper is due to be installed at a German printer at the end of the month.

Story by Josh Brooks