All things offset: Having a foot in both doors

An excerpt from AP September 2020 – by Print and Pack Australia and New Zealand managing director Carsten Wendler

The current landscape for offset remains challenging in the commercial print industry but steady in the packing sector. COVID-19 has heavily impacted the offset industry not just in Australia but globally, especially during the lockdown stages and with restrictions in place.

The digitalisation of the world too, has been very challenging for offset – this has only accelerated and proliferated since COVID-19. Information that was traditionally printed, are sourced online through the digital media and that has a huge impact for the offset printers and in turn for the offset press manufacturers.

However, in saying that, offset will be staying with us for a long time in the packaging sector. The maturity of the technology makes it very reliable. The cost of ownership is much lower and more predictable as companies can use the technology to print products in large volumes cost effective. Unless you print low quantities or a high degree of versioning, offset is the way to go.

Print quality today is generally a given – even latest generation digital presses produce high-quality prints, so it is about costs and speed to market.

A printer’s end customers do not care if the product is produced digitally or conventionally. It is a question of determining acceptable print quality, turnaround times, and cost; and the printer needs to judge with their clients and find the right balance between either print method.

The main factor to consider when choosing between offset and digital print is the run length. Generally, digital has its advantages for up to 250 sheets, but between 250 to 5000 sheets H-UV/LED-UV has its cost benefits, and above 5000 sheets, conventional presses gain momentum.

At Print & Pack Australia and New Zealand, we offer a complete range of Komori offset presses for the packing and commercial print market in the range of 29-inch to 41-inch in width, starting from a basic configuration to a fully automated press with integrated full quality control systems.

The drying technologies range from conventional presses to H-UV and LED-UV technology. With H-UV and LED-UV, we are approaching digital territory, offering alternative solutions for the printer to choose from.

H-UV and LED-UV technology have made inroads into the digital sector, which has provided offset with a better footing. Integrated closed loop colour control and quality control management with fully automatic logistics systems are also some of offset’s new-day capabilities that improve productivity as compared to previous generation machines.

Not only do they reduce make-ready times, they also improve speed to market, reduce waste, which lowers costs and reduces the impact on the environment.

Offset technology is here to stay, especially within the packaging industry, for a long time to come. There are some challenges within the offset industry itself – like having five major offset press manufacturers competing in a diminishing sector – very difficult to make this set up sustainable.

Consolidation is needed more than ever as none of these manufacturers generate sufficient income from their activities on a long-term basis. At every crisis, we see one or two of them approaching their governments, requesting financial aid or state-backed loans, which is distorting the sector and those with a good business cases and strong balance sheet are suffering from this.

At the end of the day, to survive today’s world, printers need to be in both digital and offset technologies. The industry should view offset and digital as complimenting printing technologies, not as opposing ones.

The digital version of the magazine is available here.

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