Apples and Oranges
Gravure printers must do a better job of marketing themselves in light of flexographic printing’s rise in the standings.
November 2006 by Chris Mc Loone
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Gravure printing has long been known for its high quality. According to Dean Hoss, president and CEO of Pyramid Global, in his “Why Buy Gravure” presentation at the Packaging and Label Gravure Association’s (PLGA) ninth operational conference, gravure print reproduction translates into better product appearance. Versus flexography, gravure offers higher resolution print, consistency across the print web, and repeat print-run consistency. “Gravure’s quality is hard to beat. When it’s done right, when the engravings are proper, it’s there,” says Jim Lepp, executive director of the PLGA.
However, the increasing use of flexographic printing and its lower cost of production has, over time, created the perception that if you want to employ gravure as a printing process, you are going to pay a premium for it—a perception which isn’t completely accurate. According to Lepp, although there is a price difference, there may not be as wide a gap as some think. “Basically, I think gravure is doing well. It has a strong niche that it is well in control of. I think as the gravure industry continues to address cost issues, it will continue to do better and better,” he says. Though he cites cost as an issue, Lepp states, “I’m not sure that if everything was accounted for, apples to apples, that that’s really the case. It would be hard to argue against that perception. That’s the going perception today: flexo is close in quality at a lower price.”
Not sitting still
The gravure market, like other print process markets, has responded to market/industry trends. In the case of gravure, like every other package-printing segment, more and more package printers are faced with shorter makeready times to accommodate the increase in short print runs. At the PLGA operational conference, Michael McKeown, general manager of Amcor Flexibles, stated that historically, gravure has been sold on the economic benefits, particularly of long runs. However, gravure was considered more expensive, particularly considering the nature of shorter runs and the typically long lead time associated with gravure.
At the same time, other technologies have captured some of gravure’s market share, particularly flexo. With flexo, quality and technical capabilities have improved dramatically, lead times have been reduced, and this technology, and others, have proven to be a better option for certain applications. That doesn’t mean gravure has remained stagnant while all this has been going on.
However, the increasing use of flexographic printing and its lower cost of production has, over time, created the perception that if you want to employ gravure as a printing process, you are going to pay a premium for it—a perception which isn’t completely accurate. According to Lepp, although there is a price difference, there may not be as wide a gap as some think. “Basically, I think gravure is doing well. It has a strong niche that it is well in control of. I think as the gravure industry continues to address cost issues, it will continue to do better and better,” he says. Though he cites cost as an issue, Lepp states, “I’m not sure that if everything was accounted for, apples to apples, that that’s really the case. It would be hard to argue against that perception. That’s the going perception today: flexo is close in quality at a lower price.”
Not sitting still
The gravure market, like other print process markets, has responded to market/industry trends. In the case of gravure, like every other package-printing segment, more and more package printers are faced with shorter makeready times to accommodate the increase in short print runs. At the PLGA operational conference, Michael McKeown, general manager of Amcor Flexibles, stated that historically, gravure has been sold on the economic benefits, particularly of long runs. However, gravure was considered more expensive, particularly considering the nature of shorter runs and the typically long lead time associated with gravure.
At the same time, other technologies have captured some of gravure’s market share, particularly flexo. With flexo, quality and technical capabilities have improved dramatically, lead times have been reduced, and this technology, and others, have proven to be a better option for certain applications. That doesn’t mean gravure has remained stagnant while all this has been going on.
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