Short-order Impact

The evolution of quicker-change presses and innovative ways of engraving, however, has introduced gravure into the shorter-run arena. And with set-up costs on a steady decline, gravure's long-term future in short run looks better and better.

Hot on the press

"Early acceptance of short run was slow to come because the market of the day did not require the fine line vignette capability and process work gravure is capable of," explains Dick Chesnut, president of Chesnut Engineering. As printing on all packaging came to necessitate better quality graphics, he says, gravure short-run began to make a name for itself. Another factor in its rise was the shift to films, rather than paper, as the substrate of choice. In response to that trend, Chesnut developed the SUPRA 1600 narrow-web press, featuring an on-press system which matches the set-up speed of a trolley-based press without off-press makeready.