The Printing Champions

 

Commercial Printing Considerations

High Quality Commercial Printing

Offset lithography, flexography, digital, thermography, desktop - it might all be "printing", but it makes sense to understand the differences in these services provided by commercial printers so that you can make an informed decision about which is the right one for your project?

There are 3 considerations that will aid your decision about which kind of printing service is correct for you and your budget: simple put these are:

The printed quantity required
The quality you need for the end product and
The time line - or how soon do you want it!

If you only need to print a few copies of a flyer, perhaps a couple of manuals or fifty business cards, then a desktop printer is all that is required. The quality of printers is no so good that they will easily cope with jobs like these. Whether laser or inkjet which should each use toner rather than ink, these types of printers are common in the home or small office, and produce acceptable quality when used with good quality paper.

The Digital Printing Press

Digital printing is another type of printing service. Here a digital file is sent from the computer directly to the printing press. The equipment employed for digital printing permits a lower cost on short print runs, such as 100 flyers or postcards or a few large posters. Fast turnaround times are another good reason for considering the use of digital printing for your project. Digital printing is common for low volume printing and also for producing complex document compilations such as training manuals.

Offset lithography is the most frequent of all the commercial printing services employed. The process is used for the bulk of mass printing production. Print projects such as a glossy brochures, postcards, catalogs and magazines are common offset projects. Offset printing is where ink is transferred, or offset, from metal plates to a rubber cylinder or "blanket", then onto the paper.

A Digital Printing Press

The Lithographic Offset Printing Press

The advantages of offset lithographic printing are higher quality and optimized cost-effectiveness for higher volume long run requirements. This type of printing service results in rich accurate color, high quality images and photographs, with clean typeface and fine details. The longer the print run, the less the cost per piece, since the majority of the cost is in the setting up procedures. Any extra or increase in quantity costs only a few cents per sheet for paper and ink. Offset printing is likely to take a little longer than digital printing because to the time required for making the printing plates and the time needed for the ink to dry before the product can be cut and finished.

A Heidelberg Offset Printing Press

If you need five hundred or more postcards, business cards, flyers or posters, for an exhibition or trade show, traditional offset printing services are very difficult to beat for top quality at an affordable price. Offset printing enables small businesses to compete with the "big guys" with professional-looking marketing materials.

Take time out and question yourself: What is the most important consideration for your print project? That should lead you directly to the best printing solution.
 

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