Comments in Regard to the Lithographic Sheet Fed Press of the Future.

This article considers recent speed increases in sheetfed offset presses and whether they have truly led to higher production. It is shown that long makeready times have kept speed increases from being directly reflected in production. The author considers whether future speed gains will increase productivity as much as in the past. He urges improvements in areas other than speed, and describes how electronic control devices are contributing to this. Sheetfed's versatility in paper size and grades should keep it competitive with web, and imaging systems do not seem capable of being truly competitive by the end of the century. Improvements in dampening and inking units, roll-feeding presses, roller preheating systems, postpress attachments, and recto-verso presses seem to assure sheetfed's survival.