May 6, 2002 -- KBA subsidiary Karat Digital Press unveiled a number of new features at Ipex 2002. The high level of interest they provoked among visitors to the fair was reflected in the sale of nine 74 Karat and 46 Karat DI presses. Making its debut was a 74 Karat with optional aqueous inline coater plus, dryer which not only expands the range of applications possible but also supports faster finishing and – with the relevant imposition – immediate perfecting. More 74 Karats for UK UK sales of the 74 Karat are climbing steadily. A coater version was snapped up by The Adplates Group in Lon-don, a big international advertising agency with branches in the USA and the Netherlands. According to md Allen Harbison, the company is planning to exploit the 74 Karat’s reliably repeatable high print quality by using the press as a proofing device. The second UK-bound 74 Karat sold at Ipex is earmarked for Studio Repro, a West Sussex pre-press specialist which recently splashed out on new premises to support the expansion of its services to embrace print. Other 74 Karat presses will ship to US printers 7500 Inc. in Detroit, Michigan, and Quebecor World Martinsburg Book Services in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Karat Duo for UAE KBA will soon be shipping the first 46 Karat and coater version of the 74 Karat to the United Arab Emirates, to expand the service spectrum of pre-press provider Colour Line. A 46 Karat has also been booked by the NCS Group in Newcastle upon Tyne and two more will soon be heading for Switzerland. Printanet E-Commerce Workflow Launched at Print 01 in Chicago, the printanet e-commerce system developed jointly by Httprint Europe and KBA also featured on the stands of the other partners in the project, Hewlett Packard and Best Color. The Ipex version includes a new remote proofing capability to support the output of contract colour and layout proofs on calibrated output devices at remote locations for distribute then print. The software package is currently undergoing beta-testing at two customers in the UK and Germany.