Walk into a print shop and get some printing done. Do you know if your job was done using an offset printer or digital printer? Does it matter? The answer is – it depends. Offset printing is more cost-effective for large print runs and digital works better for short runs.
Offset printing
Also popularly known as lithography, is the most common kind of printing for high volume jobs. It requires a lot of time and preparation, as the image is etched to a metal plate and then transferred from the plates onto rubber rolls. Different colors of ink are spread onto the rubber and the paper is run between them.
Advantages:
- Offset printing creates a superior image quality that results in clean distinct type and images, without streaks or lines.
- Colors are more accurate as inks can be mixed to get the right color fidelity.
- It is cheaper to use when there is a large volume of printing as the cost of making the plates is fixed and can be spread over the number of copies.
Disadvantages
- High cost for low volume jobs.
- Takes longer to print as the plates have to be made.
- Harder to fix – if there is a problem on the plate, the whole job is ruined and the plate has to be redone.
Digital printing
The laser or inkjet printer you have at home is a digital printer. Print shops have much larger and sophisticated versions using the same technology. No plates required here, as images are transferred to paper using lasers, positive and negative static charges and either dry toner or suspended liquid toner particles.
Advantages
- Cheaper cost for low volume jobs.
- Faster turnaround time.
- Identical prints as there are fewer odd variations caused by imbalances of water and ink.
- Easier to fix problems and make changes to the print run.
Disadvantages
- Higher cost for large volume jobs.
- Slightly lower print quality and sharpness.
- Harder to match the required colors as standard inks may not be able to exactly match the colors.
Factors to decide when to use offset and digital printing:
Size – Offset works better with larger projects (500+ prints).
Time – Digital printing can be done much faster than offset.
Type of material – Not every type of printing surface can work with digital.
Uniqueness of the project – Digital is the easiest and cheapest way to customize your projects.
Proofs – Easier to give a proof using digital printing.
Many businesses trust us to get their printing done right. Contact us for high quality print work with quick turn around and very competitive pricing!