Sheetfed Offset, Web Offset, Digital : Defining Crossover Points

From a capacity utilization standpoint, and because Sandy Alexander's digital business leans heavily to variable data, "it's been good for us to move some of our static work off digital and onto offset," Emery adds. "There's a lot higher value in variable than in static digital work."

The company currently ballparks its sheetfed crossover at run lengths under 2,000 pieces, and has logged variable runs of more than two million four-color impressions. For static digital runs, "we can do as many as it makes sense to do, compared with the cost of running offset," he says, "but I'd rather do that two million run variable than crank out 500 or 5,000 short-run jobs to get the same number of impressions."