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Traditional coldset printing has long been regarded as an economical solution for newspaper printing – fast, efficient and cost-effective. However, modern LED-UV technologies are now opening up a whole new range of applications for web offset. Printers can expand their production capabilities, tap into new markets and, at the same time, produce more sustainably.
One example of this is CH Media Print in Switzerland. By integrating LED-UV systems from IST METZ, the company was able to significantly upgrade its coldset production and bring additional commercial and magazine jobs in-house.
Falling newspaper print runs are posing economic challenges for many web offset printers. At the same time, there is a growing demand for flexible, efficient production solutions for inserts, magazines and advertising materials.
This is precisely where LED-UV curing comes in: it significantly expands the traditional capabilities of coldset printing. Printed products benefit from:
As a result, coldset is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative for applications that were previously typically reserved for heatset.
For CH Media Print, the decision was strategically motivated: additional print products were no longer to be outsourced, but integrated directly into the company’s own production process.
By retrofitting two printing towers with LED-UV systems from IST METZ, the print shop was able to:
Particularly interesting: large print runs with high page counts can now be produced economically in a single pass.
In addition to economic factors, environmental performance is playing an increasingly important role. Traditional coldset printing is already considered relatively energy-efficient, as it does not require thermal drying. LED UV technology further enhances this advantage.
Key sustainability aspects include:
Compared to conventional heatset processes, VOC emissions and CO₂ emissions in particular can be significantly reduced.
With LED-UV, print shops can produce a significantly wider range of products. High-quality coated and semi-matt papers can be processed reliably and efficiently, thereby significantly enhancing the visual and tactile quality of coldset applications.
This opens up new possibilities, particularly in magazine and insert printing:
This makes LED-UV a future-proof solution for modern web offset printers.
Recent developments clearly show that coldset has long since evolved beyond traditional newspaper printing. When combined with modern LED-UV curing, it gives rise to new business models, higher quality standards and sustainable production processes.
IST METZ supports printing companies worldwide in adapting existing web offset presses to meet new market requirements – efficiently, economically and with a focus on future-oriented technology.
Further information on UV and LED-UV solutions for web printing can be found here: