There are a few other differences that show up when print customers are shopping around for printing services. Advantages of each and how to decide which is right for your project. Typically, four colors are used cyan, magenta, yellow and black key, abbreviated cmyk, but offset printing also allows for custom ink colors most notably pantone colors to be used instead. Traditionally, offset printing equipment handles greater variety of papers such as extra light or extra heavy stocks, and textured stocks. However, offset printing will probably be the most cost effective option if you have a big project that requires high quantity, special inks, press checks, and lots of attention all around. Because these projects have a longer time on press, plan accordingly. When you print 500 to 20,000 or more sheets or booklets, the cost is lower than with digital printing.
Offset printing presses also allow you to print larger sheets and can print many pieces quicker than digital printing presses. Digital printing is most commonly used in small print runs as it is much faster and easier to setup offset printing presses, which allows digital printing to be extremely cost effective. The end results for offset and digital printing are very similar. There is no setup cost associated with digital printing, so your price per piece on short runs is significantly lower than what it. You can work with your printer to choose your book size, type of paper, binding, and many other options, to create a quality book exactly the way you want it. Digital and offset printing press comparison youtube.
Offset vs digital printing tph the printing house tph. Offset printing presses also allow you to print larger sheets and can print many pieces quicker than digital printing presses again, generally speaking. Digital printing can have a faster turnaround time, and be more cost effective for small quantities, but the quality will not be as good as offset printing. The purpose of offset printing vs digital prints today the offset printing vs digital print industry has gone through massive developments since the last few decades. Talking through the samples that attracted the attention of showgoers. The differences between digital and offset printing are quality, quantity, and printing costs. Digital printing can achieve comparable quality to traditional offset printing, but will rarely match it for volume and cost when it come to large print projects. It can also offer a wider range of book spec options, from spot finishes, to foldout pages, to. Printing demands for postcards, business cards and color flyers are some of the more common examples of the factors behind the surge.
Feb 17, 2014 actual production clips of digital and offset printing presses from offset impressions. It is time to take the project to the level that makes it real. Although digital printing works well on most stocks today, there are still some papers and jobs where offset printing works better. Although each print method can help marketers and designers create a quality print piece, they are inherently different by design. Dependent on your quantity and specific needs, choose digital or offset printing to create high quality business cards, stationery, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, flyers an. Other differences between offset printing versus digital printing. Offset printing on the other hand typically runs presses that are 29 and 40 sheets. Plus, it offers much better quality than a desktop printer. Offset printing offset printer offset printing services. Offset printing offers more options concerning paper stock, paper weight, and paper size. Digital printers print and assemble your book all in one place.
Some say that offset printing has a slightly better quality, but this is becoming debatable as digital printing technology is improving. Offset printing tends to be a good option for projects with a quantity in the thousands. Digital vs offset printing book design made simple. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat planographic image carri. Unlike offset printing, digital printing gives you the flexibility to customize each piece you create thereby maximizing your marketing and lead generation efforts.
In this case a 500copy, 488page book was more appropriate for digital printing due to its short press run, high page count, and extensive 4color ink coverage. Since the quality of offset printing is so much higher than that of digital printing, we almost always recommend offset printing for authors with large print runs. More specifically, on an offset press you print 4page, 8page, 16page, or 32page signatures, but on a digital press you can print and bind in increments of only two pages. Digital is best suited for shorter runs because of the higher print cost versus offset printing, but digital printing is quick, easy, and less expensive setting up and editing files using. Offset printing presses also allow you to print larger. Digital printing typically runs smaller sheet sizestypically 19 sheets with some machines going up to 29. Choosing between offset printing and digital printing for your smaller print jobs. May 27, 2014 so againthe volume of printing is a key difference between offset printing versus digital printing. Offset printing requires no change from an analogue to a digital format. Out of these printing techniques, the most popular and wellused are letterpress, offset and screen printing. If so, youll need higher quality printing to make the images look perfect.
This technique skips the proofs, plates and rubber bed and applies a design directly to the printing surface, either with liquid. Digital printing doesnt 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. Compared to digital printing, offset printing does not allow the same variable data capabilities. Price, quality, and turnaround times are often at the forefront of making the best choice before purchasing a print. In the early days of digital, offset clearly had a leg up when it came to the best quantity print style.
The printing press was part of the world for a long time. Most digital equipment is maxed out on an image size of x19. Wondering whether to choose offset or digital for your print job. The screens were as consistent as samples of offset printing. Another benefit of digital printing is its variable data capability. For years, weve been trusted by local companies, photographers and artists seeking out the best customer service and quality for custom digital printing, offset printing, and large format printing. Digital printing is still slightly more receptive to be scratched and scuffed. Instead, you will have to decide anew every time which printing method is better suited for what you are trying to achieve. Digital printing is more suitable for shorter runs and litho printing for longer runs. Cheap offset printing vs digital printing cheap printing.
Another clear advantage of traditional offset printing is its sheer flexibility, particularly when it comes to the choice of print material. The manufacturers of highvolume digital presses have made huge improvements in print quality, formats, speed, and workflow. The result is a much more truthful representation of the original work. A big advantage of digital printing is variable data, printing a document with different images and texts per item. 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. Offset printing provides higher resolution and better photo reproduction. Although the cost per sheet is higher using digital, this price is offset by the cost saving of avoiding all the technical steps, time and personnel required to print. For shorter runs of 50 to 200 postcards, its best to go digital. Both differ in technique and methodology and have advantages depending on the materials and quantities printed, and the size of the print media being utilized.
Whats the difference between letterpress, offset and screen. There have been great advances in digital printing and print ondemand technologies over the last decade. Offset printing allows you to control the quality of your book and gives you lots of flexibility. But howies chart shows pretty clearly the big issue price. Unlike offset litho, the digital process does not require the use of plates and so it offers an earlier and faster method of printing.
Digital printing presses have come a long way in recent years and come very close to matching the quality of traditional offset printing presses. Jul 12, 2017 were a digital and offset printing company located in irvine, ca. Diary printing machine, book and cover printing machine. Its best to get help from a professional who can guide you through the planning of your printing project and help you decide whether offset printing or digital printing makes more sense. Actual production clips of digital and offset printing presses from offset impressions. The number of books you need will generally dictate the production method. As a general rule, digital printing will be the more costeffective choice for short production runs, like 200 or 300 books. Colour specialist gordon fogarty compares the quality of the konica minolta bizhub press digital system output to the offset.
Read on as we discuss the differences between these techniques and figure out why they are the most popular in the industry. 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. Volume if the volume of prints is lower than 500, digital is the preferred choice. Offset printing is better if youre printing in quantity or if you want to choose a certain trim size or paper for your book. Digital quality the quality difference between digital and offset presses can vary from almost negligible to significant. Previously, it was only possible to print in black and white. These two printing methods often differ in price, quality, turnaround time, and other factors.
If you have printing requirements for your business, contact the experts at disc hounds with any any inquiries. First, the printer burns the design onto metal platesone for each color. There is no setup cost associated with digital printing, so your price per piece on short runs is significantly lower than what it would be with offset printing. If you have a job that requires variable text, multiple colors, and a small run, digital will probably be your best option. 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. In general, offset printing is regarded as being of higher quality. There are two main considerations in choosing between digital vs offset printing for your book. The quality level of digital printing is now extremely close to offset printing.
Litho and digital differences high quality, affordable print. We offer traditional screen printing for the majority of our products, as well as digital printing on selected items. While the vast majority of indie authors turn to printondemand when its time to take their book public, there are certain cases in which offset printing is the way to go. Bookbaby offers high quality offset printing for books in large quantities, fast. An example of cmy threecolor printing black excluded. A digital press is still a fourcolor printing process, but it requires far less makeready and manual accuracy than offset printing. On the majority of projects, the number of books you want to print will be the primary determining factor as to whether we run your book on an offset or a digital press. Offset printing is a process in which the image is transferred from a metal plate on to a rubber blanket or roller before applying to the printing surface. Offset printing originating in 1875 uses a technique whereas a inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Quality offset printing offers unmatched quality and crisp colors. Digital printing came on the scene in the 1990s, and for the first time, it gave users a way to produce highquality, customized prints right from their computers. In the past, offset printing was the clear and natural choice when you needed a print job. Offset printing is the cheapest method for producing high quality prints in commercial printing quantities. We can work with you to create custom marketing materials that stand out.
Five factors that help determine which production method is better suited for your book printing project 1 order quantity. Most photographs and text will reproduce well on a highend digital press. Very short runs can be much more cost effective with digital printing. Digital printing is an electronic form of printing which involves laser writing of an image to a surface using a rotating drum to apply the ink. Comparing digital and offset printing is a lot like comparing apples and oranges. As you can imagine, this requires less setup time on the actual press, making digital printing more costeffective for short run prints. Printing new york offers both offset printing and digital printing the two most widespread methods of printing.
Even though the quality gap is narrowing, it is important to note that offset presses still outperform the print quality of digital presses. Digital equipment manufacturers are continually improving the quality of digital output, but offset printing, especially with pms ink colors, will produce more consistent results over time. Custom ink offers two different methods of printing, in order to provide a process that best suits your artwork. Offset vs digitalwhich is a better fit for your book. When each piece needs a unique code, name or address, digital is the only way to go.
Choose a printer who actively makes suggestions to give you the best product for the best price. For these reasons, digital printing is synonymous with shortrun printing. This increase in size occasionally allows for some kinds printing that isnt possible on smaller sheets. Digital printing has been the fastest growing segment of the printing industry. Both offset and digital printing are widely used for common printed pieces like brochures, business folders, flyers, booklets, reports, manuals, posters, postcards, business cards, etc. Of course, it will all depend on the care given by the press operator to the project. Offset vs digitalwhich is a better fit for your book printing project. Of course, while offset printing is the most affordable option for large print runs, digital printing is a viable option for small orders of less than 500 books.
Especially when our customers have enough time to use our offshore printing options. The greater quantity of copies produced results in a lower final price of a single copy, because the cost of manufacture preparation is spread over more copies. Offset printing has a different printing method, offering higher quality ink for both color and blackandwhite interiors. Consider the press run when deciding on digital printing vs. Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred or offset from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.
Digital and offset printing both offer many advantages and disadvantages. And, as the run size increases, digital printers really cant compete with the prices that offset printing can provide. Offset printing versus printondemand publishers weekly. Nov 16, 2015 offset vs digitalwhich is a better fit for your book printing project.
One method may benefit the needs of your business more than the other. Not all digital presses are of this high quality, but there are more and more out there. When each piece needs a unique code, name or address, digital. The cost of ondemand, oneoff digital printing is quite a bit more expensive than offset or inkjet.
A variety of factors determine if your specific book project is better suited for offset production or digital production whether you are printing a book, manual, catalog, or other multipage document, you will likely have a choice between two commercial production. For high volume runs digital printing cant compete with the ability of an offset press to produce results cheaply and quickly. 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. Digital printing costs remain the same for all run lengths. When it comes to making a final decision on which commercial printing process to choose, designers must take into consideration the quality and volume they desire and their budget and timescale the two main forms of commercial printing are digital and traditional offset printing, both of which have their pros and cons. Sep 24, 2015 in addition to cmyk process, offset printing also uses premixed pantone inks for extreme color accuracy. Oct 26, 2017 the overall quality is superior to digital printing. May 20, 2015 colour specialist gordon fogarty compares the quality of the konica minolta bizhub press digital system output to the offset. Bestype is a digital printing service company conveniently located in manhattan, new york. Digital printing shines when lower quantities are needed. For books or magazines with many pages, it may make sense to print them digitally.
Digital printing stands out when used for personalized marketing, variable printing, and small quantity book printing. The canadian company installed the first unit at the friesens book printing facility and will install the second press in late 2020. If you are looking for the highest possible print quality, offset printing is the way to go. Although the cost per sheet is higher using digital, this price is offset by the cost saving of avoiding all the technical steps, time and personnel required to print litho. Also, a project that requires a high level of quality and detail, andor requires custom ink, can be completed better with offset printing. Most commonly, a metal blade controls the amount of ink transferred from. Digital printing what is the difference and why you. Either way, gerald printing has high quality, efficient equipment to help you with your printed materials and many years of experience to help you select the best process. As a result, there may be clear reasons for selecting one method over the other. A businessmanwoman who is looking to secure print for the right price at the right quality. Today there is little quality difference between the two types of printing.
The digitally printed booklet i included in the sample pack for my prospective client included graduated screens with even printing and no artifacts. Books printed on an offset press are usually better in quality than the same book printed on a digital machine like a high speed xerox docutech. Improved technology has made digital quality acceptable for more uses. Digital printing uses a fourcolor matching process, mixing cmyk colors. Digital vs offset printing choose the right printing method.
Modern litho provides both offset and digital printing services for various print productions including publications, manuals, catalogs, direct mail, and. For books or magazines with many pages, it may make sense to print them. I would argue that the crossover point is lower than 1500 in blurbs world. This is a newer arena of printing, and the quality is improving in leaps and bounds. But as quantities increase, the unit cost goes down with offset printing. Offset printing is an industrial variation of flat printing allowing the manufacture of highquantities of copies, ensuring the best quality and relatively low prices. We offer traditional screen printing for the majority of our products, as well as digital printing on selected items screen printing involves creating a stencil printers call this a screen, and then using that stencil to apply layers of ink. The growth of digital printing technology has brought technical advancements, more options, and exciting new features to todays commercial printing. The difference between offset and digital printing printivity. Digital and offset print quality issues whattheythink. A digital printing press does not require plates and can utilize either toner or ink, depending on the press. Digital printing digital offset printing impressions.