the future of offset??

[stu]

just my tuppence

just my tuppence

The fact that inkjet is a non contact form of printing that doesn't involve heat or pressure will invariably mean inkjet devices will be cheaper to manufacture than offset or digital devices. This in turn will allow a larger number of companies to manufacture devices. There are no shortage of companies who will build and supply inkjet expertise whether bespoke for a specialised packaging application, to commercial general print. The quality is currently available, there are inkjet machines that can produce over 2400dpi and there are inkjet machines that can print at over 200m per minute. Granted at the moment there isn't one machine that can do this, but all the technology is available.
The speed is more limited by the processing power of pc's and software than anything else. I remember a VLF ctp being launched at a show that wouldn't perform at the speeds specified as there were no hard disk drives that could write data that quickly, but by the time the machine was available to purchase, there was.
As for spot colours, any liquid can be inkjetted, if there is demand for it, it will be available.
I am a time served offset printer with almost 30 years until the current retirement age. I don't believe that offset will ever have anything other than a decreasing market share.

 

[JPK]

Regarding offset

Regarding offset

I think traditional offset in the developed world (USA, Canada, Western Europe, Japan and Australia) will lose ground to digital printers at an accelerated rate. Unless someone comes quickly with a "digital" plate cylinder that does not need plates anymore but simply has some sort of membrane that gives image areas based on digital files. That would be perhaps the only way offset might compete with digital, IMHO. But if that ever happens, would it still be called offset? (Kind of like the joke that if you have a knife, after some years you replace the blade and some years later the handle, is it still the same knife?)

As someone working for one of the big press makers I can tell you that most of them are in deep trouble: Heidelberg is in a "General Motors Situation" in which it is practically being bailed out by the German Government, Manroland is not doing good either and the only one making some money is KBA. (I am not sure about the Japanese makers, anybody has any idea how they are doing? ) I know by fact that KBA is currently making money mostly from sales to emerging markets like China and Brazil, where digital has not arrived with enough force yet and where small local press manufacturers still do not make good quality presses. But how long can this last?

Besides, there is the issue of what should offset do now? Commercial? Packaging? Some people say both but I see the future of offset in the packaging (folding boxes) industry. Look, technologies like the iPad and the Kindle are killing the magazine and the book industries, but every iPad being sold and all its accessories has to come in a nice printed package to make it attractive to the consumer? See where I'm going?

This is the only field where I see offset surviving for some decades at least.

 

[kristianeyman]

where do you see the digital business breaking into the offset realm in the last 3-5 years (flyers, BC, magazine, etc) with equipment pricing and consumable pricing being more accesible? or do you think with the onslaught of traditional presses on the marketplace it has keep steady?

 

[Yoga]

Considering the offset technology has been around for eons, isn't the reliability of digital dinky in comaparison?

 

[Nissh]

Digital printer is getting faster but offset is getting smarter. I believed that both will exist capturing different market. I believe that there will be a hybrid of both offset & ymck inkjet in 1 machine to capture a high volume production. I hope that there will be small office printer that print coated flyer in a hundreds so that all small & medium company can print small volume by themselves in cheaper overall cost. Inkjet has big potential but only problem is the print head life. To make the print head, investment is high. Ink is the only profitable tools, thus it is very difficult to reduce. For inkjet to kick out offset, it will be at least 10 yrs to 20 yrs. By that time another printing technology will appear again.

Another reason that offset will still be active at packaging market. Package does not required all variable data, thus offset will still be the best option for high volume production.

Digital printing
Pro - variable data, no setup time, simple operation, no plate required
Cons - slow, high ink cost, substrate limitation

Offset
Pro - fast , low ink cost, little limitation of substrate.
Cons- no variable data capability, long setup time, plate required.


Offset & digital will co-exist and may integrate each other . A giant offset company with