Something Special

"Some printing press manufacturers have become so standardized in organization and philosophy that they will not customize at all," notes Jacques. "However, a few press manufacturers offer specialty equipment for printers who can achieve a high return on investment."

But how high must ROI indications be to ensure a specialty press is indeed a viable solution? According to Little, the printer's customer base must be large enough to fill the press with premium, high-margin work. Dedicated specialty presses are more common in packaging than in labels, he believes, because shorter and shorter label runs make it tough for one job to fill a press.