Offset Printing
Bell & Bain buys Anicolor to handle mixed work load
Thursday 21. August 2008 - Bell & Bain has turned its back on a digital solution for covers for its short run books and journal work finding that the Anicolor is the ideal solution when runs can vary between 50 and 60 and several thousand.
The specialist in business, educational, technical, scientific and medical publication printing has selected the Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor with four colour units and a coater. Although the company has an existing platesetter for its other presses (up to very large format) a Suprasetter 52 has also been installed to give a dedicated and focused supply of plates to the Anicolor.
“Anicolor can handle any of the short run work we need to produce and we like the quick makeready and very small number of waste sheets it produces combined with its 15,000sph speed,” says managing director Ian Walker. “We did look at digital but having one machine that can handle everything is a big advantage.”
The press is installed in a temperature and humidity controlled room. The operators are having to get used to not altering ink ducts but the viscosity of the ink is controlled by adjusting the temperatures of the anilox duct roller.
Bell & Bain sees the fixed anilox inking as an advantage in terms of colour matching. “We have books and journals (weekly, monthly, quarterly etc) which have to have a consistent colour and look and for that the Anicolor is ideal. Its a very efficient piece of kit,” says Mr Walker. “We will get a return on investment within three years with this machine.”
Coating was an important feature for the company because most of its work goes out for laminating and turnround times dictate that work must be ready for finishing immediately
The company is equipped up to very large format press sizes. The new B3 press replaces an ageing B2 press and is producing in one shift what the previous press was producing in three.