The manufacturers of highvolume digital presses have made huge improvements in print quality, formats, speed, and workflow. There are two main considerations in choosing between digital vs offset printing for your book. At these high resolutions, the quality of digital printing will equal the quality of offset in the eyes of most print buyers. In fact, if your organization already has a decent inhouse colour printer, it could be just fine for some small jobs. Offset vs digitalwhich is a better fit for your book printing project. The technological difference between offset printing versus digital printing is. Digital printing shines when lower quantities are needed. The screens were as consistent as samples of offset printing. Offset printing, on the other hand, is best suited for largevolume print jobs. Also, bob stokes of abbott printing share information about the current. Modern digital presses is capable of high quality prints like offset, but some printers still encounter problems in color consistency. For books or magazines with many pages, it may make sense to print them. The text below from book design made simple highlights the main differences in digital vs offset printing. Another benefit of digital printing is its variable data capability.
Nevertheless, offset printing produces higherquality prints, as the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface, producing clean and crisp text and images. Due to setup and maintenance, the turnaround of offset print jobs may be longer than their digital counterpart. A businessmanwoman who is looking to secure print for the right price at the right quality. If your project is big enough to overcome the frontend costsand by that were typically talking over 500 pieces offset printing will give you an advantage.
Were a digital and offset printing company located in irvine, ca. The growth of digital printing technology has brought technical advancements, more options, and exciting new features to todays commercial printing. Offset printing versus printondemand publishers weekly. Technology has infiltrated every aspect of our culture from communications to healthcare to business and more. There have been great advances in digital printing and printondemand technologies over the last decade. Computer to plate technology results in first generation. In order to make the best decision, carefully list your requirements and compare the different processes based on your needs. Instead, you will have to decide anew every time which printing method is better suited for what you are trying to achieve. Weve been such a company for the past 28 years, and this article will contain completely unbiased information on both types of printing, for three types of people.
The differences between digital and offset printing are quality, quantity, and printing costs. Offset printing is a good solution if you have sold, or are highly confident that you will sell, a guaranteed number of books and have the funds to pay for printing upfront. Offset printing has a different printing method, offering higher quality ink for both color and blackandwhite interiors. Offset printing gives a consistent highquality image and can print any pantone or pms colors. If youre not a printsavvy individual most of us arent. We will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each, and you will know which method will best suit your next print job. Digital printing is the quickest way to produce short runs, especially when there are a many originals. Printing demands for postcards, business cards and color flyers are some of the more common examples of the factors behind the surge. While todays digital presses are close to the costbenefit ratio of offset for high quality work, they are not yet able to compete with the volume an offset press can produce. Timing, personalization, quality and paper stock all play important roles in determining how you should print.
Printer sitting on a stack of papers in front of an offset printing press. There are a few other differences that show up when print customers are shopping around for printing services. The difference between offset and digital printing printivity. Christian and christine talk about digital and offset printing, and discuss some advantages and disadvantages of each. It can also offer a wider range of book spec options, from spot finishes, to foldout pages, to. Digital vs offset printing book design made simple. Digital printing has evolved at a very rapid rate in the past decade, making this print method more and more on a par with offset printing in terms of quality. Offset printing produces sharp and clean images and type more easily than, for example letterpress printing. The quality level of digital printing is now extremely close to offset printing. In the past, offset printing was the clear and natural choice when you needed a print job. The quality of an average blackandwhite book printed on demand is nearly indistinguishable from an offset print. Whereas the need to print has always been an integral part of almost every business, the media craze of recent times has seen a significant surge in printing demands. Weve laid out some quick advantages and applications to help you make an educated decision for your print project. It can also offer a wider range of book spec options, from spot finishes, to foldout pages, to unusual trim sizes, and a wider range of paper weights.
If a book is highly visual and includes drawings or photographs, the offset process will offer a better reproduction. At the print authority, we are always happy to discuss your options when you are ready to place a print order. It is time to take the project to the level that makes it real. Offset printing has setup costs, but are later translated into indirect savings. When each piece needs a unique code, name or address, digital is the only way to go. Resolutions range from 600 x 600 dpi in inkjet to as high as 2,400 x 2,400 dpi in toner. Choosing between offset printing and digital printing for your smaller print jobs. If your project is big enough to overcome the frontend costsand by that were typically talking over 500 piecesoffset printing will give you an advantage. Gallagher, however, is quick to point out how far digital printing technology has come in recent years. Most photographs and text will reproduce well on a highend digital press. Offset printing presses also allow you to print larger.
If you require a print run of one thousand or more books, consider offset printing. And remember, we are always here to help so if you have a question or need a suggestion. The cost per piece goes down as the quantity increases. Although, there are a few determining factors that will influence the decision offset printing is very cost effective when the print run is longer and consists of many prints with the same content.
For offset, color can be more closely controlled and manipulated, so the results. In general, offset printing is regarded as being of higher quality. It requires a lengthy setup of plates and cylinders as well as preliminary printing in order to obtain the highest quality result and due to these preliminary steps, it is much more costeffective for largescale materials such as press, magazines, books. In fact, some offset presses can print on materials like plastic, wood, and metal. Which is better for your book digital or offset printing. While the vast majority of indie authors turn to print ondemand when its time to take their book public, there are certain cases in which offset printing is the way to go.
Digital printers use a large dot pattern when laying ink on the page, so prints typically wont be as crisp as they will be on an offset press. The precise technology that is used for colour is not reproducible. The cost savings in offset printing comes from the economies of scale of production. Sheet fed offset and gravure are highquality printing presses that are used to achieve the highest precision registered images. Because offset printing requires making a plate, transferring it to a blanket, then onto paper, cost are adding up even before the job actually prints.
Digital and offset printing press comparison youtube. The quality of the prints is consistent, and the quality of the print is. However, if a job has large solid areas of color, offset printing will achieve much better print quality. Actual production clips of digital and offset printing presses from offset impressions. As you can see from the advantages and disadvantages of digital vs offset printing, there is no single option that is best for all use cases. Offset printing costs more to set up, but typically has a better per. Both types of printing produce print products that are extremely high in quality and fit for. Knowing when to choose offset printing or digital printing usually depends on the. The print buyers choice between offset printing and digital printing is driven by price, turnaround time, and the quality of the final piece.
Offset printing is so named because an inked image is transferred, or offset from a plate, to a rubber blanket, and ultimately to the printing surface. Books have traditionally been printed on an offset printing press using ink. The print lab operates both digital and offset machinery, however some more complicated procedures are done using outside vendors, requiring additional time to ship and receive materials. Able to print on a larger surface area and can, therefore, create a larger print. For smaller print jobs 500 pieces or less, digital printing is the best solution. Unlike offset litho, the digital process does not require the use of plates and so it offers an earlier and faster method of printing. While offset printing is a fantastic way to produce greatlooking print projects, many businesses or individuals do not need large runs of 500 or more, and the best solution is digital printing. Should you print your postcards on an offset or digital press.
Although digital printing works well on most stocks today, there are still some papers and jobs where offset printing works better. Although the cost per sheet is higher using digital, this price is offset by the cost saving of avoiding all the technical. Offset printing versus printondemand by allison schiff and alex daniel. The quality level of digital printing is now extremely close to offset. Other differences between offset printing versus digital printing. Advantages of each and how to decide which is right for your project. For urgent jobs, digital may be best, but if you have 24 hours, offset provides the highest quality results.
If so, youll need higher quality printing to make the images look perfect. Offset printing also usually offers more finishing options than digital printing. The overall quality is superior to digital printing. Digital printers print and assemble your book all in one place. Improved technology has made digital quality acceptable for more uses. This is a newer arena of printing, and the quality is improving in leaps and bounds.
Digital printing what is the difference and why you. So againthe volume of printing is a key difference between offset printing versus digital printing. Some examples include posters, books requiring large covers, and. Digital printing requires little setup time, no upfront costs, is easier to test, and has a faster turnarounds compared to offset printing. As a result, there may be clear reasons for selecting one method over the other. What was once a seemingly easy decision based purely on quantity, the choice of which method to use to print your project is now less clear. Direct printing on fabric textile printer vs2602tx with epson dx5 print head. The quality of a printed image cannot be easily judged. The digitally printed booklet i included in the sample pack for my prospective client included graduated screens with even printing and no artifacts. As a rule of thumb, some people say that offset printing will offer better quality, but that is only true for some aspects, for example when you do one print run this. Higher image quality is still an advantage of offset. Quality for many printed products, the quality of digital printing has risen to match that of most offset presses.
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