Both offset and digital printing can be excellent options for your various printing needs, but awareness of their respective advantages can be helpful in making the right decision for the project at hand. Here are a few questions to consider when deciding between offset vs. digital printing:
How many copies do you need?
One of the most significant differences between offset and digital printing is based on the quantity of prints needed. For jobs that require fewer copies, digital printing is your best bet because it is faster and can deliver great quality at cost-effective pricing.
On the other hand, once an offset printer is set up, it runs very efficiently. Therefore, when ordered in mass quantities in the tens to hundreds of thousands, offset prints tend to cost less per print. Contrarily, digital print prices remain the same regardless of how many copies you need.
Are there specialty colors needed?
Is precise color reproduction necessary? If so, you are going to want to use an offset printer. The process of offset printing is such that metallic inks, fluorescent inks and Pantone colors can be replicated with absolute precision across many copies.
Unlike offset printers, though, digital printers use classic toners and liquid ink, which can create some slight variation from piece to piece. However, the gap in color accuracy has significantly shrunk in recent years. Digital printers are now capable of printing in HD, and with fluorescent inks.
What is your content?
Digital printing is very beneficial if you are aiming for variable data capability. Digital printing is highly flexible, and therefore makes it possible to customize prints to have unique codes, names, or addresses. For example, if you want to send out holiday greeting cards to 25 of your most important clients, digital printing allows you to print each copy with each client’s specific name and address, efficiently and cost-effectively.
However, offset printing has its advantages in that a larger variety of paper types can be used for the final product. Depending on your objective, offset printing may be your only option based on the paper type you wish to use.
Offset vs. Digital Printing at Duggal
The answer to this is typically dictated by the size and type of job. Duggal Visual Solutions has a full fleet of digital printers, along with a skilled and experienced team educated in all printing processes to help advise you on the best means of achieving your desired final product. Contact us today to get started.
