B3 Litho Printing Maintains its Crown as King of the Print Industrysubmitted on 17 September 2017
B3 printing presses have formed the backbone of the print industry for many years, but this by no means suggests that these print workhorses are old-fashioned or about to be replaced by digital printing technologies. This tried and tested printing technology is enjoying a resurgence of popularity; something which is helping underpin its key role within the print industry.
Here we look at the current state of B3 litho printing, and why’s it’s still king of the industry.
Tried and tested but still evolving
The slow but dependable reputation of B3 presses is rapidly changing as these workhorses of the industry have made significant advances in terms of technology and efficiency in recent years, ensuring that litho presses are at the leading edge of the industry. Manufacturers have even made sure that many modern presses actually surpass the abilities of up-and-coming digital technologies, especially with regard to speed, control, and turnaround.
The latest presses come fully loaded; UV and LED printing options being among the popular additions, offering reduced drying time and greater versatility for printers, whether they’re producing brochures, journals, or other printed materials.
The same but better
Modern B3 presses allow printers to deal with traditional print jobs such as periodicals, magazines, leaflets and flyers, etc., while also adding the option of UV and LED technology for printing on a wider range of surfaces, allowing a degree of creativity unknown previously in terms of printed media design, giving a boost to traditional methods of producing many forms of printed media such as leaflet design and print options; all at an extremely competitive cost, which makes B3 litho printing even more attractive.
Litho vs. digital
This ongoing development and inclusion of relevant and advantageous technology in litho printing machines helps maintain litho at the forefront of the print industry. And demand for such machines in the UK last year was extremely encouraging, underlining litho’s dominance in the sector. Some experts consider that even though competing digital technology appears to be impressive, it still requires further development and refining before it can truly pose a threat to conventional B2 and B3 litho presses.
The future
As in most industries nowadays, efficiency is the name of the game. And this is predicted to become even more critical for traditional printers as they look to compete with increasing competition from the digital sector. So, the pursuit of greater efficiencies in terms of energy consumption, waste reduction, printing, paper, and preparation time are essential to maintain litho’s competitive and technical competitive advantage. It is the print industry’s focus on obtaining the highest quality print output, at the most competitive cost, as easily and quickly as possible which will help keep the likes of the B3 litho press in demand for a long time to come in the future.
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