DC Thomson to launch insert printing service

Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson has announced it will become a "one-stop-shop for advertisers" with a new all-in-one mailroom facility.

The new mailroom equipment has been installed at its Kingsway premises in Dundee. It includes quarter folding, stitching and trimming equipment and a Flexi Roll buffer system and 10 stacking lines. The equipment has been supplied by Muller Martini.

It is the first time DC Thomson has used inserting equipment and it started testing the equipment two weeks ago. It anticipates carrying out live-runs mid-year.

The publisher said the Sunday Post was its biggest print run at around 340,000 copies and its daily newspaper titles ran at up to 80,000 copies.

The facility has been developed to help DC Thomson to enhance its products by providing it with an opportunity to include pre-printed inserts, along with "other commercial opportunities".

Head of commercial Mark Hopkins said: "Our incredible new printing facility in Dundee will allow us to provide more for our customers in the shape of stitched or loose supplements and inserts.  
 
"Our dedicated in-house inserts team will be able to plan an insert from design, through production, to delivery within our clients’ campaign timescales.  
 
"It means our customers will only have to speak to one person to coordinate their insert activity across the DC Thomson portfolio – we really will be a one-stop-shop for advertisers."

The company commissioned its new Goss Colorliner Compact Printing System (CPS), at its Dundee printing facility, at the end of November initially printing around 80,000 copies of the Courier and 30,000 of the Evening Telegraph a day being printed in cold set.

At the start of 2013 the equipment was fitted with two Goss Ecocool heatset dryers and automatic plate loading devices providing for the first time opportunities to produce inserts, magazines and brochures.

It formed part of a £25m investment by the publisher.