Setting the break points for whether a short-run, non-variable job is better being printed conventionally or digitally is a much-debated issue.

A fascinating exchange yesterday with Robert Read and Darren Crane from Cambrian Printers revealed this 'challenge your perceptions' snippet: the company recently printed a run of just 50 sheets on its ten-colour B1 press.

The job actually entailed 11 different sections, each of 50 copies, printed in four-colours on each side. It took an hour and ten minutes on the firm's Rapida 106, whereas it would have taken at least eight hours on its digital kit.

Even taking into account the plate costs, for this particular piece of work litho was the more efficient production route.

Eighteen months ago the company's production manager Darren Crane process mapped digital in isolation regarding the break points for different jobs. Now that the firm has become fully au fait with its KBA, which is bristling with state-of-the-art makeready and efficiency technologies, he's going to be revisiting the figures because the litho break point has come right down.

It's a great example of how heavy metal printing presses (and not just those from KBA) have moved on. Something to file in the 'everything that can go digital will go digital' query pile.