Michelle Fontaine

One thing is for sure about gravure—the basic technology remains the same, and the quality has also been second to none. What has been different for gravure in recent years is competitive pressure in terms of improved quality from various sources and printing processes. First, flexographic printing has made, and continues to make, inroads in markets that traditionally have been served by gravure. Second, foreign competition—whether it be outsourcing print jobs overseas, or presses that are cheaper to build and buy, but lack comparative print quality—continues to impact gravure printers as they work to compete in a global environment. The Achilles heel for gravure