That was the thought behind Miller Newsprint's launch of a digital printing service for international titles, says Mr. Malcolm Miller, CEO of the company, knowing the checkered past of other similar attempts.

Today Miller says the company is the largest digital printer of international papers in the world, printing some 50 titles.

The company works with Kodak and Hunkeler to print and produce the copies. Average print runs per day vary between 800 and 1200 copies, and some titles have as few copies as 30, others up to 3000.

In order for that to work, the newspapers must be at European accepted retail levels; on sale by dawn; and produce enough copies in the 8- to 10-hour production window.

“In the beginning, understandably, many publishers were wary of doing this, but we (Kodak and Hunkeler) were determined to make this work, so went forward with the few titles we had on board.”

Six months later those titles were being produced to the level and costs associated with offset, and then other publishers followed.

The systems can print 125 meters per minute and 800 64-page editions per hour on 52 gsm paper. They are printing two formats: English tabloid and Berliner.

Miller says the cost cross-over at which digital becomes cheaper than offset printing is 2000 copies. But he says to make digital more attractive, it makes sense that the presses have more speed in the future, there are lower costs per page, and it is more ideally suited for a narrow production time window.

His advice: “Find good partners in technology, those who really know and understand newspaper production and culture.”