Goss's new Magnum Compact might have been made to fit the former reelroom in Staten Island, New York, where the first press in North America is just completing tests.

The six 2x1 towers at Advance Publishing clear overhead by only a couple of centimetres in a custom installation which places towers and folder on separate floors.

The towers - which feature automatic plate changing and other productivity features - are 2200 mm high, making installation a high-precision operation. The unusual configuration has web slots cut into the floor above to accommodate turner bars which deliver webs to a folder on the floor above. Extra slots have been cut to allow an extra folder to be installed in the future.

The press is currently undergoing commissioning tests and 'shadow production' before moving into full production this month. It complements an existing double-width press line, offering backup on the production of the daily Staten Island Advance while adding capacity for other contract newspaper, insert and commercial work.

The Goss Autoplate technology enables successive jobs to be run with complete plate changes within two minutes, and with minimum waste. Removed plates can be reused for repeat production of shorter run jobs, further extending the value proposition of the press. The lower profile of the towers is made possible by a roll-away design, which gives easy access to blankets, rollers and ink ducts.

Goss says the ability to print cost-effective runs as short as 500-1000 copies provides printers with an alternative to digital print, while remaining economical in runs up to 250,000 copies.

The Staten Island Advance was established in 1886 and is part of Advance Publishing's family of newspapers that comprises dozens of titles across the USA. A diversified communications group, Advance Publishing has media interests that encompass cable television, leading media internet sites, business journals and magazines as well as newspapers.

A second Magnum Compact press has been ordered for Express Newspapers (Ceylon) in Sri Lanka.