Does small-format offset printing have a future in the printing industry?
Definitely. A lot of applications cant be done in digital. Essentially, if you need speed, if you need a variety of different inks, Pantones, in-line coating, envelopes and the like, you need offset. The advent of low cost computer-to-plate systems along with lower cost four-color-plus presses means that you can have a four-color offset press and a metal or polyester CTP system for significantly less than the cost of a high-speed digital press. You have all the advantages of speed, various substrates that you cant do on a digital press, and no click charges. The new generation of small-format offset presses is very automated: Automated plate changing, automatic ink settings, and a lot of the digital information being transferred from prepress to the press for setup. That has streamlined the operation. Essentially, the features and capabilities once reserved for the larger and more expensive offset presses have migrated down to the small-format press, and in doing so, have become more a
