RPS welcomes West Ferry Luton to its network

As part of Reach PLC’s acquisition of Northern & Shell, which included the Daily Express, Daily Star New! and OK! publications, West Ferry Luton print site has become part of the Reach Printing Services (RPS) network.  RPS now boasts six UK-based print sites, offering unrivalled capacity.

Whilst many may remember the Wapping dispute for all the wrong reasons, the newspaper revolution of the 1980s led to the introduction of new technology.  Docklands played a major part in this story, and the West Ferry print site was considered one of the largest print works in Western Europe, when it was built in 1988 on the Isle of Dogs as the manufacturing arm of the Daily Express and Daily Star.  

On 29th November, 2011, the presses started up on new £100 million state-of-the-art print facilities in Luton, which boasts four highly automated KBA Commander presses, equipped with 22 Pastomat reelstands, 22 four-high towers and four high-performance KF7 folders. The plant also has the ability to stitch, trim, fold, attach covers and insert.

In November 2017, West Ferry continued to push the boundaries, following the investment of a pre-press upgrade, which now offers innovative high-def printing up to 2000 dpi – impressive when standard coldset resolution is 1016-1270dpi.

Printing at high-def on improved paperstock creates a smooth image, with fine detail and lift, making it an ideal option for independent publishers, retailers, brands or businesses that have never considered coldset printing in the past.

Michael Brown, Commercial Director, Reach Printing Services said: “We are delighted to add West Ferry to the RPS network. It adds further strength and capability for our internal and external customers.”