Offset the challenge

With drupa 2016's opening date approaching faster than a bullet train in Tokyo, Converting Today spoke with David Muncaster, director of business development for packaging at Goss International, to learn more about how offset's popularity is growing despite the spread of digital.

Converting Today: From a printing perspective, is offset holding its own against digital?
David Muncaster: Offset remains one of the most widely used print methods - along with flexo and gravure. The vast majority of offset in the packaging market is in sheet-fed, which continues to thrive for paper and board applications where offset (litho) provides high print quality and low set-up and image costs (printing plates).

These same advantages can be enjoyed with web offset, but on a much wider range of substrates - particularly on films and foils - along with roll-fed applications such as flexible or liquid packaging. The percentage of converters using web-fed technology is growing, but in terms of volume, it is still a relatively small percentage of the overall market.

Digital is exciting, it gets a lot of exposure and adoption of digital technology in the packaging sector is experiencing growth and constant innovation. However, it's important to remember that while digital is seeing huge growth in terms of equipment sales and print revenue, it still only accounts for a tiny percentage of the total market share, and the impact on actual print volumes is still low. Digital is fuelling a sharp increase in the trend for personalisation and mass customisation, which will no doubt continue for the foreseeable future. It is unlikely, however, that the economics of digital will see its share of the packaging market, in volume terms, rival the big three - litho, flexo and gravure - anytime soon.

Can you point to any offset innovations in the packaging sector that illustrate how this process still has value to brands?
Brands are looking for shelf presence, high print quality, speed to market, short lead times and cost efficiencies. Marketing innovations and pace of change, driven by digital print and social media, is resulting in a rapid increase in SKUs, which result in shorter average run lengths. Baby food and pet food, with the vast array of different flavours is staggering.

If the print method meets all the demands for quality, time and cost, brands don't really care how their products are printed. Each print process has its strengths and weaknesses, which have led to a trend to use hybrid systems - enjoy the best of all worlds so to speak. Converters with hybrid web-offset systems, such as Vpak, are attractive to brand-owners as they provide high print quality with photo-like images and fine texts, but without the high image and set-up costs of flexo and gravure. Also consider coatings, lacquers and opaques applied by flexo or gravure, integrate digital processes and the opportunities grow even further.

Are there trends in the offset printing sector that will shape the industry into the near future?
There are more offset suppliers in the market than ever before, and web-offset machining sales have been strong over the last 18 months. The benefits of choosing web offset are numerous, including print quality, increased automation, fast turnarounds, quick job changeovers and low image costs.

However, there are some advantages to using digital technology when it comes to niche products with personalisation or localisation. We are seeing a trend towards converters opting for hybrid solutions, enabling converters to enjoy the benefits of multiple technologies. With a hybrid approach, converters can offer economic short runs, high image quality and solid opaques and varnishes by using their Goss Sunday Vpak press with integrated flexo or gravure technology. This flexibility enables so many product offerings, the possibilities are endless.