Over one hundred and fifty yearsof invention and innovation inoffset printing means thelithographic sheetfed press is ahigh-performance, precision piece ofengineering, bordering on perfection. Butthe technology's maturity doesn't meaninnovation has flattened out. The engineersbehind it and the printers who make a livingfrom it continue to innovate, only now thefocus is on attention to detail in order tomaximise value.Huge leaps in print-speeds have been equalled by manufacturers slashing minutes off make-readies and shaving seconds off change-overs. And the courage of packaging producers to drive sales by creatively adding value rather than 'stacking it high and selling it cheap' has been rewarded wherever run lengths have declined, providing a degree of shelter from a stormy economy.
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