The Australian started local Tasmanian printing this week, at the new $32m printing plant, with The Weekend Australian to follow from September 5. Paul Whittaker, editor of The Australian says the move to local printing is proof of News Limited’s commitment to deliver news fast and with a national voice in all Australian markets.

He says, “The Australian has almost conquered the tyranny of distance that publishing a national daily newspaper in Australia presents, with the paper now published at seven separate prints sites across Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Townsville, and now Hobart.”

Whittaker continues, “Printing locally will also allow us to deliver the paper up to four hours earlier to newsagents in Hobart for early morning home delivery that previously was subject to the vagaries of the weather.’’

According to KBA the new Comet press, which was installed in the Hobart facility in June, comprises six Pastoline reelstands, six printing towers, a KF 3B double jaw folder and various extras. The company adds the Comet can print up to 96 full-colour tabloid pages and includes facilities for stitching and a quarterfold.

NL Chin, sales director Asia Pacific for KBA told AP the new Comet has a 578mm cut-off and a maximum rated output of 75,000cph in straight production. Web width can be varied between 630 and 870mm, with 810mm the standard.

He says, “News Limited needed a new press and they have had good experience with the KBA press at their Gold Coast facility so the installation in Hobart has gone ahead. The press includes the latest up-to-date technology and is a much faster than the old Goss press the facility previously housed, which had a maximum speed of 40,000cph.”

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