Offset and Its Technical Strength (II)

The market environment we are in today is changing the printing industry. It also opens up new markets for sheetfed offset printing.

One of the pressure: urgent delivery

Global communications are becoming faster and faster, communication facilities are ubiquitous, making the pace of business faster, delivery pressures and printing services needed to be completed in a short period of time, and therefore higher requirements are placed on the preparation of offset printing.

Globalization has enabled more customers to be in touch with printers from all over the world, thus increasing the opportunities for customers to select printers, and at the same time adding pressure on printing companies because they need to deliver goods at the scheduled time.

The second pressure: the printing price is fiercely competitive

The competition for offset printing prices is extremely fierce because web offset printing has been able to print high quality products. At the same time, the investment threshold for offset printing is no longer high, and low-cost competition has become a means for some printing companies to survive. To a certain extent, printing companies have entered the vicious circle of low-price competition.

The third pressure: the profit space is compressed

The price of paper materials continues to rise, which to some extent engulfed the profits of offset printing. Global oil prices have continued to hit new highs, and the rise in the price of ink raw materials has become inevitable, eventually leading to continued rise in ink costs. The profit margin of offset printing is further squeezed under the influence of the macro economy.

Stress 4: Customers' demanding quality requirements

There is no limit to the printing customer's pursuit of the color of the printed matter, and some printing customers require the durability of the finishing surface of the printed matter for several decades. This trend will continue to be strengthened in the next few years.

Stress 5: Short version

We live in an age of individuality and diversification. Short-run printing has become a product of this era. A considerable number of offset printing jobs tend to be reduced in print volume, and it is not surprising that digital printing and shunting short-run offset printing jobs will continue.

Sixth Pressure: Pressure from Flexo Printing and Gravure Printing

In the label printing market, narrow-format flexographic printing is eroding some of the label offset printing business; while gravure printing is still the strongest opponent of offset printing in the long-run live packaging printing market. In both sides of flexographic and gravure printing, the pressure on offset printing cannot be ignored.

Seven of pressure: pressure from the ecological environment

The voice of environmental protection is rising loudly, and VOC emissions from offset printing production are being limited. Heavy metals in offset printing inks are somewhat out of step with green printing. In the future, it is destined that green offset printing will become the main theme of development.

Taken together, the above factors constitute the pressure of sheet-fed offset printing. In the next 10 years, these pressures will profoundly change the profile of offset printing, and to a certain extent, the development direction of offset printing.

Postscript

Due to technological advancement, the fiercely competitive market needs the differentiation of printed products, so Value-Added Print will become the development trend of offset printing in the future.

From a printing point of view, there are many ways to increase value. First of all, the delivery is quick; secondly, the most appropriate process is selected according to the characteristics of the prints.

The continuous introduction of innovative technologies has allowed printing companies to choose more widely. Surface finishing techniques that improve graphic printing and durability of prints, as well as printing on a wider range of material surfaces, are also important value-added tools. Printing companies need to add value, in other words, differentiation.

Value-added printing requires more than just a machine, but also machine configuration and process innovation for a particular printing market.

In order to be invincible in the future market competition, printing companies are thinking about a problem and how to provide high value-added print products for printing customers. Specifically, a printing company needs to know the capabilities of its equipment and employees. At the same time, it needs to understand the needs of its customers now and in the future, so that they can know each other and keep abreast of each other.



Source: Bison