The Dorchester, Dorset based business installed the Horizon RD-4055DM to ease production bottlenecks. It was installed by Horizon’s UK agent, IFS, in May.

“It will help us spreading the load. We perform a large amount of die-cutting and versioning and the quick makeready assists in maintaining efficiency,” said Epic technical director Jon Formon.

“We have been very impressed with the machine.”

Formon added he had been particularly impressed with its “fantastic” kiss cutting and the step-and-repeat feature that enabled the device to use a 1-up die on a 3-up sheet, saving “considerable amount on the cost of dies”.

Its repeat-register function enables the running of multiple-up imposed applications with a smaller die to reduce die cost, up to five repeats in a single pass, according to Horizon.

The RD-4055DM joined a post-press battery that includes added value devices such as a Kama ProCut 76 die-cutter and hot foiler, which was installed three years ago as part of the company’s move into packaging, and a Scodix S75 digital enhancement press.

The new 6,000cph Horizon features dual magnetic cylinders, signified by the DM in its name, and is designed to simultaneously cut/crease/score short-run product from both sides of the sheet.

Depending on configuration, it lists from around £55,000 and as well as cutting, creasing and scoring it can also perforate, slit, hole punch and round corner digital and offset printed sheets up 0.5mm thick in one pass.

Running B2 litho and SRA3 digital on a Mitsubishi and HP Indigo respectively, the 21-staff business specialists in high end products including packaging, tags and notebooks.

Nowadays, two-thirds of its work mix is secondary packaging, with the remainder for marcomms, and its client roster includes the likes of Lush Cosmetics, luxury confectioner Charbonnel et Walker, Four Corners Advertising for Harrods Estates,  Southampton FC, and Sisley Paris cosmetics.