Coldset Web Offset -- No Heat, No Sweat

Kaughman adds that selecting the appropriate press equipment for the coldset environment will augment performance, save labor and enable the printer to offer a high-quality alternative to heatset while maintaining a price advantage.

"As long as coldset satisfies the needs of a significant segment of the print buying market, coldset shops will continue to have a pricing edge over heatset printers," Kaughman says. "However, coldset printers will be challenged to provide even better color and paper quality, which means they will have to invest in presses and press upgrades, which will enable them to narrow the gap between coldset quality and heatset. They should also challenge the perception that coldset is inferior."