NSPA--Bringing It Home

At another session, Paul Hostelley, of Heidelberg USA, compared digital copiers to direct imaging offset presses. Toner-based digital printing has its advantages, Hostelley noted: it's good for very short runs and variable data printing, as well as for distribute-and-print applications.

But, he cautioned, it has a high cost per page and a limited number of paper stocks that can be used. There are also problems with sheet-to-sheet and front-to-back registration, and static can cause trouble in the bindery stage. Plus consumables and service are generally only available from a single source.