No Lethargy for Letterpress

"Central impression designs offer space, tighter register, and versatility for a wide range of jobs with a narrow web," seconds Willingham. Taiyo's CI offering includes letterpress and flexo, with stacked flexo units to provide more working area, while still saving shop space.

Warwick believes CI presses' tighter registration (accomplished by preventing movement of the material once it's wrapped around the CI drum) is particularly beneficial in today's market tendency toward film and plastics. "An in-line press needs more elaborate controls to hold registration because any type of heat causes the material to stretch," he notes.