OCA has installed a third big offset press at its Print Bound subsidiary, boosting capacity and moving the company into the lucrative packaging market.

Chief executive Naresh Gulati says the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 six colour LED UV press started producing commercial print jobs yesterday and will be available for trade work.

“I invite all printers in Australia to take advantage of the latest and most sophisticated press in the Australian market,” he says.

It marks the company’s first foray into packaging, which will focus on high quality short-run work and make extensive use of the XL 106’s UV capability for quick turnaround jobs.

The press also increases Print Bound’s versatility as it can print on a wide array of substrates including plastic. It runs at 18,000 sheets an hour.

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Gulati talked up the green credentials of the press, which is carbon neutral and 33 per cent more energy efficient than the previous model, has impress control that saves 100-200 sheets from waste, and various other eco-friendly features.

“I want everything we do to be environmentally friendly because we have a responsibility to make print sustainable. We have designed the whole new site in this way,” he says.

“Many of these features are not on any other press in Australia.”

Since OCA acquired it in March, Print Bound has grown from having only one offset press, a Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 12-colour press, to three with a Heidelberg CD 74 five colour and the new XL 106.

The increased capacity has led to it insourcing its prepress last month with a new CTP, while several digital and wide format investments have made it a full-service printer.

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