Birtwells adds RMGT 524GX LED B3 litho press
Print Solutions
Birtwell & Company, based in Clayton-le-Moors, Accrington, Lancashire, has taken delivery of an RMGT 524GX LED-UV B3 format litho press. The company produces trade print – predominantly forms work – for both print management companies and for other printers. The new addition, purchased from MPL, the UK and Ireland dealer for RMGT.
Sue Preugschat, company secretary at Birtwells Trade Print, explains more about the move to RMGT: ‘The new press is a godsend compared to the previous machine that we had here. Whilst the speeds are similar, there are many major benefits with the RMGT. The instant drying, of course, is the biggest plus. We know exactly what colour will appear, as there is no ink ‘dry back’, and there is no set off of the ink. We can control the colour better, including the initial ink key information that we send through to the machine.
‘This press also takes up a lot less space– and that is important for us. Space is at a premium in our factory, so the actual floorspace needed for the press, and the fact that we don't have piles of print dotted around the machine while the ink is drying, are major plus points for us.
‘It also seems so reliable compared to the previous press, and relatively easy to learn – our operator has picked it up really quickly. We had issues with the previous ink cartridges especially, where they have leaked – we have had ink all over the floor once or twice with that system.’
The B3 format RMGT 524 LED-UV sheetfed litho press offers printing speeds of up to 11,000 sheets per hour. Developments such as LED-UV and low cost CTP have made litho even more attractive against digital alternatives in this sector.
Business forms, such as NCR sets, are a very large part of the work produced by Birtwells Trade Print, using largely litho with a small percentage of digital. ‘Our customer base is spread across print businesses without the capability to produce forms work, and print management companies that need a reliable and capable forms producer. This means confidentiality is critical for us – the end customer doesn’t need to know that we printed the work,’ added Sue. ‘And, yes, there is still a huge demand for forms, including NCR sets. This type of product is very difficult on digital, so many digital only print companies need trade suppliers such as ourselves.
‘We can be confident that the RMGT press will produce work that looks perfect when it arrives at the end customer. We have had troubles before when the customer opens his rush delivery and finds that the ink has set off onto the back of the previous sheet. That is not the standard we expect. This new press will stop anything like that happening again.’
