Future of printing industry ?

[padrao]

What do you think will happen with offset printing?
Packaging is the last refuge?
Much of the work offset are disappearing with the Internet, information, newspapers, and the printing lenght are getting shorter
Regarding digital printing i don´t see a good future for tonner based machines, for me inkjet might be the future .
What is your opinion?

All the Best

Padrao

 

[Deleted member 16349]

What do you think will happen with offset printing?
Packaging is the last refuge?
Much of the work offset are disappearing with the Internet, information, newspapers, and the printing lenght are getting shorter

I think there is a lot of potential for improvement with offset and it can be obtained in two stages.

Firstly, existing presses can be modified to run more predictably and consistently.

Secondly, future designs of offset presses will be less expensive and perform a lot better.

Of course the market for offset printing will get smaller but in the end when comparing printing processes, it comes down to performance over cost. The market will decide the outcome and one should not think offset does not have a good future.

 

[richprint]

I have been thinking this a lot lately too. The flexo industry, thanks to packaging is keeping us busy. But it only takes about $1.5 mill or less to install your own plate making system these days from Dupont so it's a good investment for big film convertors and laminators who spend about $2 million or so in plates every year. Trade shops will have to adapt or go the way of the dodo.

 

[ondemandbindery]

What do you think will happen with offset printing?
Packaging is the last refuge?
Much of the work offset are disappearing with the Internet, information, newspapers, and the printing lenght are getting shorter
Regarding digital printing i don´t see a good future for tonner based machines, for me inkjet might be the future .
What is your opinion?

All the Best

Padrao

I would say that asking this question is like asking to be put in front of a firing squad. The Industry sucks. Make no bones about it. There is some sustainability but overall things are different from the good ol' days. Those who have accepted the change are working on repositioning themselves in the Industry. As for everyone else you have either bleed yourself dry or are figuring out what you shop full of metal is worth.....

We process information completely different now and the new generation is all about internet, PDA's, and so forth.

Good luck,

JW

 

[CD102]

Heaven help us all if they learn how to transmit food through the Internet.

 

[branding labels]

The printing industry is in a state of flux that can no longer be denied. Even as venerable an institution as the New York Times recently conceded defeat to the digital age, with Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. stating at a news conference that “we will stop printing the New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD.

 

[MacTwidget]

Heaven help us all if they learn how to transmit food through the Internet.

"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot"

 

[Francois]

I actually think that in the past year, things are stabilizing and a shift has initiated. I run an independent technical service company, and many of my clients are now adding 2nd shifts and even 3rd shifts. Several have mentioned that print jobs that used to go to China are actually coming back.

Also, the reshuffling at manroland and other manufacturers has opened new opportunities for independent service companies. I see it as a venue to a tighter support and more focused service to our customers. I definitely sense that customers are grateful that professional independents like us are there to cover their backs when the big boys no longer offer certitude. I am actually very optimistic that the industry is rising from the ashes and morphing into a lean, rejuvenated trade.

Francois
controlgraphicsusa

 

[EGWebguy]

My plant is a full book manufacturer, so we are a little diverse. We run anything from high end coffe table books that come of our ManRolands, school yearbooks that come off our Heidlbergs, or trade web jobs that come off our Timsons. About 10 years ago, we forsaw the need to adapt, we purchased what was then a state of the art roll fed digital press, the Xeikon 2000. We have since switched over to an HP system which is digital but runs as an offset. In our trade web, we purchased 2 Nuveras for anything under 500 copies, this is part of our digital book factory system. The most recent thing we got into is 3D print packaging. It is way more than simple embossing. We have had a lot of interest in this, but as goes with new technology, we are still trying to make it more commercially viable. We have patented the technology, but building one-off equipment is expensive and time consuming, but we are sure that we can get the ball rolling in the near future.

 

[Francois]

To your point of adapatation, I see more and more 3D printing. Technically difficult, but perhaps a way to secure that workmanship stays in the US.

Francois
controlgraphicsusa

 

[Francois]

Perhaps it is not the printing industry as a whole that is in peril, rather the printed communication venue. Providers of news and communication may actually just need to adapt to a new supporting tool to communicate and continue to make money.

Francois
controlgraphicsusa

 

[PrintMaster]

I think with the change in the market , offset presses will start to "evolve" or advance in technology wise in order to be relevant. Quicker setups , more efficient plates and inks which result in competitive with short run (at digital) making it more the choice for longer runs + short runs etc.

 

[Servicetech]

Heaven help us all if they learn how to transmit food through the Internet.

We better call on someone closer than that for help.

Seriously, I felt the industry decline to the point I was forced to change industries, so far it was the best decision I ever made.

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

I see a lot of places closing down, everytime I read a print news piece its about how someone has gone into bankruptcy. I dont see too many new printers opening up out there. Packaging seems to be holding its own and I think it will get more demanding as the younger tech savvy generation become consumers. If you have a press that can print multiple colours,UV, and do some special effects in one pass then I think you will rule the roost. I wouldnt be running out and buying a newspaper press though my 0.02c

 

[printsnpaints]

I don't believe that the printing industry in on its last legs. Change is inevitable, though. 3D printing technology may catch up, for example. Services would become more affordable as well, allowing small businesses to maximize traditional marketing materials and sustain the printing industry in the process.

 

[iamgemini]

I think the future of the industry is looking pretty bright. It's tough to get the same quality printing from online services as prepress, and advertisements rely on their quality.

The only thing the industry needs to do is cut down on its physical waste in order to remain competitive. Being that the backbone of the industry is brick and mortar, it needs to cover overhead, operation costs, etc.

As long as the industry can evolve and learn to run with reduced waste it will be just fine.

 

[D Ink Man]

Print touches all 5 senses.

The new media may touch 3 senses.

Which gives lithography and ink on paper a pretty dam good chance.

D

 

[Printers Cloud]

Before we discuss the future of print, it is important to understand that print isn’t alone. Almost all industries are facing the same challenges like print. TV took over Radio, Cable has taken over TV, and now Internet has changed the entire sea! Printing is not an exceptional from Basic Economics. The use of Print has changed. Future lies in knowing why people print and not just how to print. The equipment will not be a differentiator anymore; it’s what the printer does with equipment that will mark the future!

 

[D Ink Man]

Before we discuss the future of print, it is important to understand that print isn’t alone. Almost all industries are facing the same challenges like print. TV took over Radio, Cable has taken over TV, and now Internet has changed the entire sea! Printing is not an exceptional from Basic Economics. The use of Print has changed. Future lies in knowing why people print and not just how to print. The equipment will not be a differentiator anymore; it’s what the printer does with equipment that will mark the future!

One thing print does have going for it, it's longevity. It surpasses all other mentioned industies in your reply. I believe this has significant impact on it's chances of survival as the future continues.

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

Lets face it nearly everything that is printed (except for packaging which has to perform other functions apart from nice graphic images) could be made available on some type of electronic device, even wedding invitations could be sent electronically with video images. Flyers and coupons can be made available electronically. My generation (baby boomer) who aren't as savvy as the present connected generation will I believe access their information via electronic means rather than paper.