Comparing Digital Printing To Lithographic Printing

Comparing Digital Printing To Lithographic Printing

If you require printed materials but can't choose between using a digital printing company or opting instead for offset litho printing, then hopefully this short but informative article will lay out the advantages and disadvantages of both printing methods so that you can make an informed decision.

To being with let's think about offset printing. Offset lithography is possibly the most common way to produce high-volume printing. Litho print works by burning the image you need printed onto a plate and then off-setting from this onto a rubber blanket and finally on to the printing surface. Offset technology is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix and it is the perfect method for generating clear and high quality images.

Secondly let's look at digital print. Digital printing companies are becoming increasingly popular as this becomes an important method of printing. The main advantage of digital printing is that is saves time and gives a shorter turnaround as there's no need to make the plates, films and colour proofs.

Another benefit of this printing method is that there is no variation between prints - every print is identical -because you have not had to rely on rollers and plates to make the image.

Direct mail companies are big users of digital print services as they enable them to print exact copies of letters and leaflets but with the added bonus of being able to personalise each one, for example with the recipient's name. The printing process is not slowed down by this personalisation as information is fed to the press from an external file such as a database.

Although there are many advantages to using digital printing, it is also worth considering the disadvantages of this print method so you can better understand the kind of service that you need.

The main disadvantage of using digital print as opposed to litho print is that the quality is not as high. It also has limitations when it comes to the printable surfaces you can use, whereas lithographic print can be applied to a range of different surfaces such as plastic, cloth, metal and wood.

If you are looking for short print runs then digital printing will offer the cheapest solution because there is virtually no set-up involved, whereas offset printing offers better value for high quantity print runs as the cost per unit decreases.

To conclude, if you need flyers, business cards or other small quantities of printed materials, you would be advised to look for a digital print company. If, however, you require larger quantities of high-quality print, or print onto a surface other than paper, offset printing may be the answer.

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