Cartonmaker Korus Packaging (Bordeaux, France) will begin production next month with a specially configured Speedmaster CD 74 sheetfed-offset press from Heidelberg (www.heidelberg.com). With eight ink units, three coating units, a dryer, perfecting device and extended delivery, the Speedmaster CD 74-UV will create finished printed packaging in a single pass.

The configuration can reportedly print a wide combination of inks and coatings, thus creating particularly striking effects. "Our customers come from the cosmetics and perfume industries and are particularly discerning," explains Serge Durandet, managing director of Korus Packaging.

Durandet made a special trip to Wiesloch, Germany, to approve the press and was impressed with the test jobs. "We focus on the luxury packaging sector, and our motto therefore has to be quality every time," he adds.

Since 2001, Korus Packaging has offered UV printing on a Speedmaster CD 102-7 LX-UV and is looking to expand this sector with the Speedmaster CD 74-UV. Earlier, folding-carton printing for food products was abandoned in favor of luxury-goods packaging.

Durandet is enthusiastic about the excellent quality, which is equally high in both direct and reverse printing. This was one reason for the purchase, as the trend in perfume cartons is moving toward double-sided printing. Another motivation was the F format of the Speedmaster CD 74 (24 × 29 in.), which is in tune with packaging-printing needs. Run levels at Korus Packaging average 8,000 to 10,000 sheets with weights of 280 to 350 gsm.