The digital, photo and gift-product printer has bought a Horizon StitchLiner Mark III to improve book production, said operational planning and solutions manager James Belton.

He did not disclose the price, but said the machine, supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), was installed two months ago and was bought for its speed, thickness of books and A4 landscape format.

The StitchLiner Mark III runs alongside a Duplo System 5000 and printing kit including a Ricoh Pro C9110 and HP Indigo digital machinery.

“I had been watching the development of the StitchLiner and waiting for this model. There is nothing else like it on the market.”

The StitchLiner Mark III runs at a maximum speed of 6,000bph and up to 12,000bph with 2-up production. It can produce A4 landscape booklets at up to 5,300bph.

Belton said the machine would enable Harrier LLC to enter new markets, including variable data and personalised products.

The business, based in Newton Abbot, Devon, has 200 staff producing photobooks, calendars, mugs, placemats and posters.

“Horizon's kit has been running well, increasing our production of books per hour and giving our staff more confidence to run the machine. We expect a return on investment within three years,” said Belton.

“A good percentage of our work is personalised and with the StitchLiner there is no need to print extras or overs, which is important when producing such short runs.”

Improvements on the previous model include a new 12.1-inch HD colour touchscreen, a quicker, more precise knife movement and variable-thickness production with new Hohner 52/8S stitching heads.