The firm provides printing to a number of brands and retailers—through agents, buyers and other printers—in order to boost its offering further and cope with an increasing demand.

“This year, we have been offered more work—much of it in higher volumes—but we’ve had to pass rather than risk compromising our existing workload,” explains Clifford sales director, Paul Thomas.

He continues: “The second KBA Rapida 162a will change that; in effect, we will be offering 48 hours of large-format capacity every day of the year.”

The firm did have the option to opt for a digital device to take the shorter runs, which would in turn have freed up its existing Rapida 162 for higher volume work.

However, works director, Paul Cockerill, explains the purchase of a new Rapida 162 provided a better option: “Production speeds are still an issue and we felt the digital print quality just wouldn’t suit a lot of our work—such as the cosmetics sector, where skin tones are so demanding.

“The more we looked at it, the more a second large-format litho press made sense.”

The press—due to be installed by the end of the year—will feature the KBA QualiTronic inline colour measuring system, in order to lead the firm’s drive to ISO 12674-2 certification.

Clifford Press has also specified the model for conventional inks, thick stock capability, combination coater and UV drier—a move it believes will allow it to maximise options in the pressroom.

The added large-format firepower for Clifford Press will stand it in good stead moving into 2013, as demand continues to grow in this flourishing market sector.