African daily The Namibian is to be printed on a new all-colour press following an order from new joint venture Wordpress.

The four-tower Goss Community SSC single-width press is to be installed in a new facility in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, and will make Wordpress one of only two web-offset printers in the country.

Leading the venture are editor Tangeni Amupadhi and Wordpress managing director Wolfram Jauss, who says recent market changes mean “the time is right” for the new printing entity: “We are very excited to be working with Goss and can’t wait for production to start at the new facility,” he says.

The new Community SSC press configuration replicates the capabilities of its web-offset rival, with two SSC folders to ensure maximum production and format flexibility.

Jauss says the press will produce a wide range of formats: “With this production flexibility, we anticipate developing significant new revenue streams in the form of contract print work for the local region and potentially beyond.”

With four four-high towers and two SSC folders, the new 578mm cut-off Community will be able to print up to 32 pages tabloid in full colour. It is currently being installed with production set for early 2015.

Founded in 1985, The Namibian is one of the largest national daily newspapers and has a strong tradition of editorial independence. It features a range of supplements and special editions and has an average circulation of 40,000 copies, with Friday distribution regularly peaking as high as 70,000 copies.