Beyond Web Offset

PIA/GATF's Offset and Beyond Conference held last month, the first industry event to combine web and sheetfed, featured keynotes by Brian Mulroney, Canada's former Prime Minister and current Quebecor board member; Luc Desjardins, CEO of Transcontinental; and J. Kirby Best, CEO of Lightning Source. The event, which drew 675 attendees, also offered web offset technology demonstrations (shown) hosted by Ironstone Media Corp., Pickering, ON. Three special demonstrations showcased the firm's Mitsubishi Diamond 16 MAX-M commercial web press.

Desjardins told attendees that the printing industry is not an endangered industry, but one encountering a rapid and profound transformation.

“The printing industry is going through a turbulent period,” Desjardins said. “But is it really, as some observers have said, in an 'existential crisis'? I don't think so. I see it simply as a continuation of the fast-paced change of the past 10 years.”

Lightning Source's Best, a fourth-generation book printer (T.H. Best), told attendees, “'We are a technology company disguised as a printing company.” His LaVergne, TN print-on-demand firm has seen peak output of 45,000 separate titles in a day; average run, 1.8 copies.

Best announced the company is starting up a second U.S. printing plant this year, comprising 130,000 sq.ft. in Allentown, PA. Other new plants are slotted for Germany, Australia and Brazil in the near future. Participating on a panel discussing the new business model for print, George Wolden, manufacturing VP of Lithographix, described his firm's transition to large-format billboard printing via KBA's new 81´´ press. Among the surprises was that a 25-line screen provides adequate resolution for billboards that are 150 ft. or more from the road. www.gain.net, www.transcontinental-printing.com, www.lightningsource.com, www.ironstonemedia.com, www.lithographix.com