1st install of Screen high-speed digital colour press goes to NZ

Screen Truepress Jet 520 opens up the path to digital newspaper production for Wellington book printer, Astra Printing.

Astra Printing of Wellington has commissioned a Screen Truepress Jet 520 digital web press primarily for printing books but also with a view to direct mail, catalogues and ultimately newspapers. The press was supplied through Screen’s New Zealand dealer, Fujifilm.

Astra CEO, Steve Messenger (pictured) said that the machine was chosen to complement its work in short-run publishing. “Shorter, cost-effective print runs on behalf of publishers deliver a distinct competitive edge, environmental benefits and dynamic service levels to our customers. In Screen’s Truepress Jet 520, we now have the technology to offer all of this to book, newspaper and magazine publishers – in full colour or mono – with crisp black text and excellent colour reproduction,” he said.

Truepress Jet 520’s production speed is up to around 1,600 A4 pages per minute across its 520mm wide web, which equates to around 3,200 typical trade paperback book impressions of 135mm x 216mm. This is nearly 200,000 book pages per hour in duplex mode, making 1,250 x 160-page paperbacks in an hour. Post-press equipment consists of Hunkeler, CP Bourg and Ibis Smartbinder and Challenge three-knife trimmer.

Akira Hayakawa, managing director of Screen Australia, believes that the press will enhance Astra Printing. “We are excited by the forward-looking and innovative vision of Astra Printing. While this is the first in the Oceania region, together with all versions, there are now around 200 Truepress 520s operating throughout the world – more than any other similar supplier,” he said.

“These are being used in all of the ideal applications for high-volume digital inkjet printing, namely, transactional and promotional documentation, books, manuals, newspapers, brochures, instruction leaflets, catalogues and so on.”