Are you worn out and confused by hearing the same jargon? Digital Printing vs Offset Printing.
Let me take a wild guess: All you want is to find out what’s the best printing method for your situation. And you’ve searched and searched and not got the answer.
Great news! You’re in the right place. In today’s article, you’ll be able to tell clearly which printing method is most suitable for you.
What’s Digital Printing?
According to PFL: “Digital printing doesn’t use plates the way offset does but instead uses options such as toner (like in laser printers) or larger printers that do use liquid ink.
Digital printing shines when lower quantities are needed; think of a run of 20 greeting cards or 100 flyers.”
Pros and Cons Of Digital Printing
Here are the main pros of digital printing:
- It’s a lot faster than offset printing
- All your prints are identical
- It’s cheaper for low-volume jobs
And these are the cons:
- Limited options on materials you can print on
- Because it uses standard ink, you’ll have less color fidelity
- It’s expensive for large-volume jobs
What’s Offset Printing?
On the other hand, according to PFL: “Offset printing technology uses plates, usually made from aluminum, which is used to transfer an image onto a rubber “blanket”, and then rolling that image onto a sheet of paper.
It’s called offset because the ink is not transferred directly onto the paper.
Because offset presses run so efficiently once they are set up, offset printing is the best choice when larger quantities are needed, and provides accurate color reproduction, and crisp, clean professional looking printing.”
Pros and Cons of Offset Printing:
Here are the main pros of offset printing:
- You get A+ quality printing
- The quality of the materials’ printed color is very high.
- It works perfectly on all kinds of materials
And these are the main cons:
- It can be very expensive when the volume printed is very low
- It takes a lot of time
- You can’t fix errors. You’ll have to start over from scratch again.
So, knowing all of this.
Digital Printing vs Offset Printing: Which Is Better?
Still not sure which method is the best for your project? No big deal; run your project by this list to decide:
- How big is your current project? If your project is bigger than 600 pieces; then offset is the way to go, since it has the needed pros.
- What’s the deadline for your project? If you’re short on time and need things to get done as soon as possible, then digital printing is the best. If you have the time, offset is best.
- What are the materials you’re printing? Are you working on printing business cards? Or flyers? Or some marketing materials? In this case, digital is the best option.
- Do you care about the quality of colors? If you’re very serious about perfect quality colors, offset is the most cost-effective solution. If not, digital won’t break the bank.
In conclusion, both options have their pros and cons. If you need a lot of pieces printed (say over 1000 pieces), have a bigger budget and time, it’s best to go with offset. If you’re short on time and need work done as soon as possible, go with digital.
Did you know? Printing is our bread and butter, it’s what we do best. Check our service page and let’s build amazing things together.
