Big opportunities emerge as offset players going big time with digital printing

There was a time when digital presses were considered high cost-per-page machines. This is the main reason why print shops, mailing houses and marketing departments still opted for offset printing presses. We all know the fact that offset presses are highly cost-effective when it comes to production of high-volume jobs. But a big turn took place for the offset players after the pandemic. Many of them lose their high-volume works!

When the commercial offset players are facing big trouble in finding big-volume works, what they do is going for an alternative for small-volume or short-run production. In such case, digital printing press is the alternative for them for short-run production. After the pandemic, many of such commercial offset players start opting for digital printers which are suitably made for high-quality production in small volumes. In fact, these commercial offset printers are now going big time with the digital presses.

Now a new paradigm shift of business has come for the digital press manufacturers and suppliers as they can tap the new opportunities emerging due to the increase in demand for digital printers among the traditional offset commercial printing companies. Moreover, innovations nowadays in printing technologies have resulted in the advanced and modern digital presses. These days, digital presses are engineered in a perfect way to do everything that a traditional offset printing press normally does—even so much more than that!

Unlike the offset presses which have multiple press stations and require great deal of space, digital presses are designed to be space-efficient with small footprint. These digital presses are known for their multifunctional activities. A range of customised items can all be produced from a single digital press. Digital presses are sometimes considered as a full-service print shop in a box. This is one of the main reasons why commercial offset printers go for digital presses as per their work volumes.

As the market space is inclining towards an increasingly digital future, inkjet and toner-based technologies continue to threaten to displace the offset in several applications. Smithers’ recent market study titled The Future of Digital vs Offset Printing to 2027 reveals the dynamics of this competition across the next five years, profiling how the latest technology developments will redefine the sector. Advertising and commercial prints are the major applications for sheet-fed litho, both of which suffered severely during the pandemic. The primary advantages digital offers in these applications are faster turnaround, low-cost customisation, and better cost profiles on shorter print runs.

In this issue, we shed our Region Exclusive spotlight on Delhi & NCR. We select some of the big shot signage players in the region who work for turnkey projects for big brands, and their works stand out unique and outstanding wherever they are. Just read on and give them appreciation!

Sonal Khurana
sonal@smediagroup.in