Durst has revealed that the first of its new Rho 1012 machines in Europe was purchased off its stand at FESPA 2013 last week by Kent-based Speedscreen. An existing Durst house, the key motivators behind the ￡780,000 investment were the printer's compact footprint, its output quality and an improved price point compared with previous 1000-series engines.

The 2.5m hybrid, now described by Durst as its 'flagship' in this category, will replace screen-print lines, claiming as it does speeds of some 490sq m/hr. Speedscreen's managing director Tim Hill first encountered the machine at Durst's Innovation Days at Lienz two months ago, deciding that its combination of throughput and twelve-picolitre drop size was correct for this purpose.

"I had to pinch myself and check that this was not some trick: quality that was almost as good as litho, speeds of over 450sq m/hr, even 490sq m/hr in draft mode, a gloss mode that looked fantastic with just a small speed reduction and a [point-of-sale] ink that was priced to compete favourably against other manufacturers," says Hill of this first viewing.