Exploring Middle Ground

However, a mid-web press is more affordable for short runs by 33 percent to 50 percent vs. wide-web presses. This frees up the wide-web presses for longer runs, for which they are designed. Printers need, above all, to be profitable with short-run work. This flexibility is essential for survival in today's highly competitive flexible packaging market. Many printers buy a mid-web press to take 'nuisance' (i.e., short run) work off of their wide-web presses. The vast majority of mid-web CI presses sold for flexible packaging printing are from 29 inches to 37˝ wide.