UV WEB OFFSET PRESSES -- Finding the Cure

Since the UV process has gotten easier to use, and the new generation of presses offer the same advancements that are reducing make-readies and increasing the speed of conventional heatset web configurations, UV presses are now easier to run and much more productive to operate.

The primary benefit of UV over heatset printing is the flexibility gained in running in-line presses versus blanket-to-blanket presses, reports Pitel. "With in-line equipment the customer gains in his color combinations. For example, on an eight-color heatset web press the printer must run the color placement that the dryer layout dictates. With UV, the customer can run five-over-three colors, six-over-two, etc.," he states. "The UV process holds an inherent advantage when teamed with its most common partner—the hard cylinder (blanket to impression cylinder) webs.