customer service. Litho printing is used for a wide range of products at the company, mainly on medium to large print runs that aren’t cost effective to run on its digital presses. The company recently made headlines for its investment of almost £5m in new premises and B1 litho capabilities which included purchasing a pre-loved B1 ten-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 with coater to sit alongside its two Speedmaster XL75s. All three presses run 24 hours a day, six days a week. “We use this litho capability in conjunction with an array of digital machines, including the HP Pagewide T250 web press and our HP Indigo 100k,” explains Jack Clifford, head of operations at Solopress. “We find this combination grants us the agility to respond to the broad variety of jobs that fly in each day.” When asked what some of the main benefits of litho are for Solopress, Clifford says print speed is the main one. “We can achieve up to 18,000 sheets per hour through our Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 and our move to B1 means we effectively are putting 36,000 sheets of our old format B2 on the floor per hour. Reliability is a huge benefit too. Our XL 106 is print ready and operational for 98% of the time.” Another benefit Clifford highlights is the versatility in terms of the materials it can handle, as with litho, Solopress can print onto a broad range of paper stocks and weights. “While inkjet is catching up in terms of the quality, many in the industry still feel that litho has the edge. Where litho is particularly dependable is when reproducing consistent colour throughout long print runs from the first sheet to the last. “The durability of inks post-print is certainly better on litho-printed products. With newly digital printed products, we have to be diligent in how we handle jobs to ensure the print isn’t scuffed. With litho printed jobs, that’s not a worry, and the ink cost per sheet with litho is also significantly less than the digital or inkjet equivalent.” Another company that uses litho in its production is trade printer Route 1 Print. The company dispatches over 8,500 jobs each week from its 100,000sq ft factory and offers a range of quality print products from flyers and business stationery to branded merchandise and luxury book binding. The company also offers a range of tradeonly services such as dedicated account managers, free 30-point artwork checks on all files, a range of unbranded and downloadable marketing collateral, and more. Having worked in manufacturing for over 15 years and ten of those in the print industry, Phil Tasker is now head of Route 1 Print. Explaining the way Route 1 Print uses litho in its offering, Tasker says: “With four industry-leading pieces of kit in our lithographic arsenal and a team that’s trained to the highest operating standards, we make light work of long runs. Our litho stream is largely responsible for long-run orders of our flat and folded items including flyers, folded leaflets, posters, and business stationery. Plus, they’re 55 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 342 - May / June 2023 even useful for producing long-run booklet and unfinished sheets!” Tasker explains that for Route 1 the key is to keep its litho stream as efficient as possible in the way the company gangs up jobs. “Depending on size, we can group up to 20 pieces of artwork on one plate. Our specialist workflow software carefully monitors the orders that come through our system to find compatible jobs that make the most economical use of our resources.” The benefit of this is that fewer plates go to waste which helps Route 1 Print to keep its prices low. As a company producing big jobs consisting of long runs, Tasker says litho presses still hold the title for printing efficiency. However, as a small print business taking on huge orders could feel a little daunting, especially if they currently own a fleet of digital printing technology. This is where Route 1 Print’s trade services come in. “Litho presses can be very expensive and we understand that most of our customers won’t own one unless they’re a larger commercial printer,” he explains. “However, the benefits of outsourcing long run jobs to use means that they can make use of our machines, without having to pay for the expensive equipment or the floor space whilst still guaranteeing a quality product.” The Big Debate With any technology there are going to be pros and cons. For litho, Tasker explains that it isn’t the most sustainable printing option. To tackle this, Route 1 Print is doing its bit to reduce its carbon footprint and impact on the environment, especially across its litho stream. By ganging jobs together, Route 1 is able to keep its jobs efficient, reduce plate waste, and keep prices low for customers. The company also recycles its aluminium plates after use so that they don’t end up in landfill. Route 1 Print also only uses stocks certified by the FSC and all the machines in the factory run off 100% renewable electricity including all its Heidelbergs and plate benders in its litho stream. “Understandably litho isn’t the quickest ▼ Phil Tasker, head of Route 1 Print ▲ Beamglow, producer of luxury packaging, has purchased an XL 106-7+LYY-1+L Heidelberg printing press NEED TO KNOW / LITHO TECHNOLOGY Litho printing evolved from stone plates to the use of plates made from zinc in 1830 and aluminium in 1890 Factoid
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