The Imaging Centre has bought the UK’s first Duplo DC-20K B2 cutting system, after hosting the machine’s beta test.、

The DC-20K, launched in May, was installed at The Imaging Centre’s Tonbridge site at the end of September.

The business, which specialises in greetings cards, bought the system with the DC-746 slitter, which the DC-20K can feed directly into.

Combined, the machines allow high volumes of B2 sheets to be printed and finished in one pass, even with multiple-cut or creasing/perforating work, or with multiple formats on the same sheet.

The firm also bought a Bagel Systems iLam Pro digital foiler in September, boosting its capacity for high-end cards.

Jessica Penfold, operations director at The Imaging Centre, said the new cutter had helped the company react more quickly to gain clients.

She told Printweek: “It’s great for us. It allows us to basically reduce any bottlenecks, which improves our service and turnaround times for our customers. We’re focusing on becoming as efficient as possible.”

The new foiler, she said, has allowed the firm to boost its foiling speeds by four to six times.

Penfold added that the machines, bought directly from Duplo, will also help the company maintain new publishers as customers for longer, as they grow from orders in the hundreds to tens of thousands.

She said: “As they grow and become more known within the industry, they may then get orders from the likes of PaperChase or TK Maxx, where they’re then ordering 14,000 cards at a time.

“At that point, they could consider going down the litho route - but, having this machinery, and with the turnaround times that we can deliver, we can be more competitive.”

Having had the DC-20K as a beta test was especially helpful, added general manager Ed Starling.

“The beta testing was great as it was a partnership, which allowed us to feedback and implement suggestions that helped improve our use of the machine,” he said.

The Imaging Centre employs 27 staff, turning over around £2.8m.