The CD 74-6P and a four-colour Speedmaster SM 74 are due at the East London firm in January and will give the firm a strong B2 focus, said production director Andy Skarpellis.

"It will give us a productivity rocket and add up to 35% more throughput," he said. "The CD can keep maximum running speeds on complex jobs and has a higher output on board weights of top quality, which is a winning formula." It rolls out 15,000 sheets an hour.

Skarpellis also looked at KBA, Mitsubishi, MAN Roland and Komori machines before choosing the Heidelberg CD 74, which he admits was more expensive than its closest rival. He said the CD had an unusual 3/3 format, suitable for report and accounts, which were often printed in two or three spot colours. The machines also handle four-, five- and six-colour jobs.

The new Speedmaster would "mop up" straightforward process work on a more cost-effective platform and handle multi-colour work like business stationery, he said.

Precision Printing also has CTP and finishing kit such as saddle stitching and laminating. It is due to move into a new factory eight miles away from its Clerkenwell base in the new year.

Story by Jez Abbott