UK paper unveils printing plant

Associated Newspapers unveiled plans today for a new print plant that will allow it to produce every page of its Mail titles in full colour.

The UK group – part of Daily Mail and General Trust – said the £80m (€120m) scheme on a brownfield site at Didcot, Oxfordshire, would create enough capacity for a 128-page full colour Daily Mail and 160-page edition of The Mail on Sunday.

The 12-acre site, which should be operational by 2008, will be installed with presses ordered from Italian manufacturer Giovanni Cerutti Spa.

Associated also said it planned to spend a further £16m (€24m) on its presses at Harmsworth Quays in London, as part of the ongoing upgrade to full colour printing. At present the Harmsworth site is capable of producing half the company’s pages in colour.

Lord Rothermere, chairman of Associated Newspapers, said the developments announced today would ensure full colour printing across the country, bringing added value to readers and advertisers.

He said: “This is further evidence of our commitment to the long-term future of our newspapers.”

Cerutti provides presses for major Italian newspapers such as La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, La Stampa and others. The presses at Harmsworth Quays were made by German firm Koenig & Bauer AG.