Sheetfed Offset, Web Offset, Digital : Defining Crossover Points

In static sheetfed, web offset and digital printing, the term “crossover” denotes the number of impressions at which a per-unit cost advantage can be gained by switching a job from one process to another. Technological advancements continue to enable companies that offer all or most of these processes to be competitive over a wider range of jobs, extending the run length crossover between processes. At the same time, printers that offer most or all of these processes have deliberately coordinated their digital, sheetfed and web printing platforms as closely as possible in terms of capability and quality—revising, even threatening to render irrelevant, the traditional understanding of "crossovers" in the bargain.