Professional Digital Printing vs. Traditional Offset Printing

With recent advances in professional digital printing, traditional offset lithography is getting a run for its money. While offset maintains a reputation as the printing method of choice for high-end corporate clients, professional digital printing is gaining ground fast as the technology of modern inkjets is poised to increase substantially in quality and capability over the next decade.

Unless and until professional digital printing catches up with – or surpasses – offset lithography, determining which of these two printing methods is the best choice for your project requires a no-nonsense analysis of the distinct benefits provided by each one.

Advantages of Professional Digital Printing

• Time – Inarguably, professional digital printing takes less time overall than standard offset lithography. With digital printing, the setup is performed in a software environment, while offset requires mechanical setup that is both time consuming and ongoing – offset requires far more intricate management of print media and ink composition during the print run.

• Inexpensive Short Runs – Digital is the king of short run printing, for reasons similar to the above. By eliminating the need for mechanical tinkering, digital printing can produce short runs of product in far less time – and for far less expense – than offset.

• Variable Data – Once again, the software environment of a digital printing press allows the use of a technique called variable data printing. This allows the user to change print content on the fly, and during the print run. Text, images, fonts, even colors can be altered on a per-sheet basis during the same run, eliminating the need for multiple runs of similar product.

Advantages of Offset Printing

• Image Quality – Presently, offset enjoys slightly higher image fidelity in most situations, and larger print runs that are graphics-heavy are most likely a better candidate for offset.

• Media Variation – Offset lithography can print on nearly anything, from wood to plastic to metal or leather. While digital printing is making strides in this area, offset remains the master of substrates.

• High Volume Efficiency – While lithography setup takes significantly more time than digital, once in place, producing a large print run can be more cost effective on offset machinery than on a digital inkjet.

For a more detailed look at digital printing technology, take a look at our complimentary Digital Printing Matrix today!

Don’t get caught empty-handed!
Download our free Print Equipment Matrix.