The Wiltshire-based display graphics company, has returned to HP for its second digital flatbed industrial press in as many years after investing in a Scitex FB7600.

The new machine complements the firm's existing FB7500, which has been upgraded to FB7600 specifications, and forms part of the company's plan to phase out its screen printing operation.

Image Factory's second Scitex flatbed enables the Chippenham business to shut the second of its three screen printing lines and migrate more of its POP and POS work to digital production.

This new machine has been configured with HP's white ink kit that allows the press to use the manufacturer's HP FB225 white Scitex ink and print on a range of applications, including backlit signage and window displays.

Image Factory head of digital technologies Tim Boore said the addition of white ink to HP's offering has produced "excellent and cost-effective" results.

He said: "The ability to print white really puts the last nail in the coffin for screen as far as we’re concerned.

"We will retain our last screen line for one- and two-colour jobs and special projects requiring metallic inks, but our normal work is going to be digital."

The 3.2m-wide flatbed FB7600 can print on a range of rigid and flexible substrates, such as corrugated board, paper, foam board, Dibond and plastics for both indoor and outdoor applications.

It can print on sheets of up to 1,650 x 3,200mm in size and up to 25mm thick.

Boore added: "The speed and capacity of these printers has enabled us to shut down one of our three screen printing lines, and when we’ve completed the options and upgrades, we’ll be able to shut down a second."

"The result of these investments is that we have presses with identical functionality that enable us to move work from screen to digital."