Succeeding in the 'AND Era' of Print: How Printers are Embracing Offset and Digital
The global printing industry is entering a new phase; what NAPCO Research, in a recent survey sponsored by Kodak, calls the “AND Era.” Based on responses from 230 commercial printers across the United States, Germany, and Japan, the study explores how companies are increasingly integrating both digital and offset printing technologies to meet evolving market demands.
Rather than choosing between the two processes, many print providers are strategically combining digital’s flexibility, speed, and personalization with offset’s high-quality output and cost-efficiency for long runs. This hybrid approach is enabling more agile and responsive operations that can efficiently handle a broader range of applications—from high-volume production to customized, on-demand jobs.
As a result, printers are improving productivity, reducing waste, and creating new opportunities in areas like targeted marketing and personalized communications. Those embracing the “AND Era” are better positioned to serve diverse customer needs with greater creativity, operational versatility, and competitive advantage.
The full report, Succeeding in the AND Era: How Printers Are Embracing Offset and Digital, outlines the benefits, challenges, and investment strategies behind this shift. Key takeaways include:
1. Offset Still Dominates — But Digital is Rising
The survey found that offset printing continues to represent the majority of print production volume. On average, survey respondents said 71% of their output is produced on offset presses, while 19% is printed digitally.
In addition, 60% of respondents expect their digital print production to increase in the coming years. This suggests that digital is growing, not as a replacement, but as a complement to offset — particularly for short-run, fast-turnaround, or variable-data jobs. Rather than shifting entirely to digital, many printers are optimizing their workflows by assigning the right jobs to the most cost-effective technology.
2. Cost Efficiency: A Leading Driver of Integration of Offset and Digital
When asked why they operate both offset and digital presses, the most common response, selected by 75% of printers, was cost efficiency. Survey respondents also cited faster turnaround, better quality alignment, and the ability to meet growing customer demand for customization as top benefits of the hybrid model.
In a survey question on digital printing’s effect on profitability, a U.S. commercial printer with both offset and digital presses, and more than 100 employees reported, “It [digital printing] helps increase production speed and reduce labor costs, enhancing productivity and enabling our company to handle more work with fewer resources, thus increasing profitability.”
In addition, a German commercial printer with more than 100 employees commented, “Digital printing has reduced waste, so we have been able to lower our operational costs.”
3. Integration Isn’t Without Its Challenges
While the strategic rationale for combining offset and digital is strong, execution can be difficult. The study found that the top challenge when integrating digital and offset printing technologies, reported by 45% of respondents, is workflow complexity (e.g., the ability of ERP, MIS, and production workflow tools to manage a hybrid workflow)
A significant aspect intensifying the difficulty in integrating workflows is that 73% of respondents who print on both offset and digital presses support multiple workflows.
4. Postpress Capabilities Are Becoming More Important
As short-run digital jobs increase, many print service providers are also re-evaluating their finishing capabilities. Traditional finishing setups, optimized for long runs, can become bottlenecks when turnaround demands increase or job formats vary frequently.
According to the study, finishing equipment ranks as a top planned investment over the next 12 to 24 months among printers with both offset and digital operations. Finishing speed, automation, and flexibility are now recognized as critical to capturing the full efficiency benefits of a combined digital and offset printing workflow.
5. Strategic Implications
The adoption of an “AND” approach isn’t about favoring one technology over another; it’s about making both work better together. As offset technology evolves to become more automated and efficient, and digital expands its capabilities in quality and throughput, the opportunity to synchronize the two grows.
For commercial printers exploring this path, the real challenge is not the technology itself, but aligning systems, staff, and workflows to support it. The upside? More agile production, better alignment with customer needs, and the ability to compete in a broader range of market segments.
Final Thought
The AND Era report doesn’t present a universal answer, rather, it highlights trade-offs, operational considerations, and emerging best practices. If your business is considering investments in workflow, training, or equipment, the insights in this study offer a useful reference point for understanding how your peers are approaching these decisions.
Lisa Cross is the principal analyst of NAPCO Research (a unit of NAPCO Media) where she conducts market research and analysis on emerging trends and changing dynamics in the commercial, in-plant and packaging industries, and the market forces that are driving those changes. With decades of experience covering the graphic arts and marketing industries, Cross has authored thousands of articles on a variety of topics, including technology trends, business strategy, sales, marketing and legislation.
