Optimizing Make Ready and Waste Minimization in Sheet Fed Offset Printing for Cost Effective Packaging and Printing

Printing is one of the major concerns for packages and it gives final impression to the package. The printing industry faces pressures to increase efficiency and reduce cost due to global over capacity and rising costs of raw material. Most of the packages are printed, so that brand identification and product differentiation cane be resulted in the market place. It is the age of packaging and better printed package helps to attract new consumers in addition to retaining the existing customers. Over the years, product manufacturers are trying hard to push their product, so that revenue can be generated for future growth and development. In the world of cut throat competition, one has to adopt innovative ideas to reduce cost of production and this extra savings can be utilized for other purposes, like reducing the selling price of the product or adding some additional features with the same selling price. Sheet fed offset printing process is one of the major printing techniques for packaging printing and make ready is one the areas which needs special care and attention for final cost savings. This review paper is intended to find out some of the major contributors to the make ready time and necessary steps that can be used for minimizing these unproductive activities, so that the package printing cost can be reduced. At the same time increased legislative and customer demands to lower the environmental impact of industry activities has created a need for printers activities has created a need for printers to better their sustainable practices. Increasing resources efficiency and reducing waste has therefore become an important aspect to consider for printers wanting to maintain their market position in an increasingly competitive environment.