Heatset Web Presses -- War Heats Up

New equipment capabilities can also drive industry trends, Levin notes. Press automation, he offers as an example, has lowered the run length threshold at which it becomes profitable to print jobs on a web press instead of a sheetfed press.

"One trend is shorter and shorter run lengths," observes Don Gustafson, president of the Tensor Group. "Most printers are able to obtain large print contracts, but most of the jobs have many versions built into the run length, resulting in multiple stops/starts and frequent plate changes. The norm now is full version changes, and not the traditional black-only type, as seen in the past."