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Where is Offset Today?
Far from its often touted death, offset print is being continually reinvented. By Jeffrey Steele
s the total size of the print market continues
to shrink, a number of other developments
are occurring that are affecting offset printing. One is the surging market for shorter
run lengths, which appears to be accelerating. Another is an increased need for differentiation
through fragmentation, in areas ranging from packaging to magazines and newspapers to
commercial work.
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Along with these trends,
there is a push for cost
reduction in printing and an
increase in the use of digital
print processes in many markets, most notably in the area
of book publishing. All of these
trends are putting pressure on
offset, says Roland Ortbach, vice
president of sales for the USbased subsidiary of manroland
web systems.
"Offset is still the most costeffective, versatile, flexible, and
reliable printing technology available today, just as it's been for
many years," he says. "The technology
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QUICK PRINTING / October 2013
that has evolved over many years still answers the need for 70
to 80 percent of global printing needs. In some markets, it is
still very high, and in other markets comparatively lower. Digital printing will capture a portion of the market, and that portion is the part offset was not designed to handle." Offset was
never designed for variable printing, variable format changes,
or print on demand, he says. But when it comes to volume, cost
to print, inline added value, and flexibility, it is hard to beat offset technology. "The future looks good for offset, as it does for
digital and, to some extent, for gravure," Ortbach says.
"There is enough demand for all these technologies for them to do well. I'm confident offset
technology will be the most economic and
accessible for years to come."
Brad Kruchten, president of graphics,
Entertainment and Commercial Films,
Eastman Kodak, says the majority
of printed pages are still offset,
and will be for the foreseeable future. "People talk about the
growth of digital, but it will still
be an offset world," he reports.
Moreover, as new technologies arrive, they will have
to learn to play in the offset market, Kruchten says. "We
have such a large infrastructure built
in the printing industry, success with
w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m