Vying to Add Value

"For years we've been rotary letterpress, and flexo has been 10 paces behind," says George Noah, V.P. at Lewis Label Products. "Now flexo is one pace behind, and nine out of 10 buyers can't tell the difference."

Noah estimates Lewis Label now prints 50 percent of its work with rotary letterpress—a level that was formerly as high as 65 percent. The decrease stems from both flexo inroads and financial return prospects. Noah points out that while a "Mercedes"-quality letterpress may cost more than a million dollars, a flexo press with UV and water-based capabilities that can handle much of the same work may cost half that amount.