WOA 50th ANNIVERSARY -- Turning up The Heat

Automation will continue to be added to web presses and the technology will become more "gravure like" in its speed, simplicity and the ability to vary the repeat length. It will be the dominant printing process for run lengths greater than 30,000 and up to two million impressions.

The future web offset press will look completely different and be physically smaller than the press of 2002. The single recognizable component in the future will be a synthetic rubber printing blanket sleeve to transfer the image.