swissQprint has achieved its 150th UK installation with the delivery of a Generation 5 Kudu flatbed printer to Witney-based Fine Print Services
swissQprint has reached its 150th installation milestone in the United Kingdom with the delivery of a new Kudu flatbed printer to Oxfordshire-based Fine Print Services. The installation highlights a broader shift in the British print industry, where traditional lithographic print providers are increasingly expanding their in-house wide-format operations to capture higher margins and improve production scheduling.
The Swiss manufacturer has tripled its active UK installation base over the last six and a half years. This growth has been largely driven by commercial and packaging printers moving away from outsourcing wide-format jobs, opting instead to retain control over colour accuracy, quality, and delivery timelines under one roof. Retaining these services in-house allows commercial print shops to produce high-value short-run packaging, point-of-sale displays, retail signage, and branded prototypes without disrupting their core offset litho output.
Erskine Stewart, Managing Director of swissQprint UK, noted that the milestone reflects shifting market demands and long-term buyer trust: “Reaching 150 installations in the UK is a significant milestone for us. It reflects the trust customers place not only in swissQprint technology, but also in the local support and long-term partnerships we’ve built with print businesses across the country. We’re proud that so many have chosen swissQprint as part of that strategy.”
Based in Witney, Fine Print Services initially added wide-format capabilities to its established offset offering in 2015 by investing in a swissQprint Impala flatbed printer. Over the past decade, the large-format division has evolved into a highly profitable segment of the business, allowing the company to supply a broader range of applications from a single location.
Commissioned in June 2026, the new Kudu represents a direct transition to swissQprint’s latest Generation 5 technology. The 3.2-metre-wide flatbed features advanced printhead resolution and enhanced productivity speeds to meet growing volumes of short-run, premium work. Fine Print Services selected a refined four-colour configuration, which relies on the machine’s enhanced native resolution to deliver the precise output that previously required a six-colour ink setup, effectively lowering ink consumption and managing operating costs.
Dan Bakewell, Owner of Fine Print Services, said, “Our new Kudu gives us the productivity, quality and flexibility we now need to deliver the consistency our customers expect from Fine Print Services.”
Stewart concluded by emphasising that machine reliability and localised engineering support remain critical for UK print shops aiming to safeguard themselves against production downtime. “The combination of our printers’ precision, performance and reliability, together with our UK-based technical support, has been key to our growth.”