Offset Printing vs. Digital Printing

Technological advancements in the field of printing have given people a wide variety of printers as well as techniques to choose from. Offset printing technique was developed in the late 1800s and has been one of the most popular methods of commercial printing. Digital printing is a more recent invention and has rapidly gained popularity in the world of printing. The choice between the two is quite difficult, as offset printing provides quality, digital printing is more convenient.

The technique of offset printing works when the image to be printed is superimposed on a plate. The image is then transferred onto a rubber sheet and later to the printing surface. The technique uses the repulsion property of water and oil. The image being printed is exposed to ink using ink rollers, where the blank part of the surface is kept away from ink using a film of water to cover the surface. On the other hand, digital printers work using a print head and ink cartridges, printing text or images when you give a print command from the computer.

As can be seen offset printing is quite tedious and time consuming. However, the image produced is of very high quality, rarely achieved by digital printers. Offset printing can be done on a wide variety of surfaces such as metal, leather, plastic and wood. It can be quite cost effective for bulk printing. On the other hand, digital printers provide instant results at much lower costs.

The choice of printing technique, whatever requirement you have, depends on several factors such as effect desired, quality, quantity, time and cost. The quantity as well as quality plays a major role in deciding the type of printer to be used. For instance, while printing advertisements it must be considered where the advertisements are going to be placed. If they are going to be displayed as hoardings, then offset printing is a better choice. However, in case the advertisement is in the form of flyers or brochures, digital printing should be good enough.

Digital printing is a good choice if you want your prints to contain colors. Digital printers are capable of producing some very good images in vivid colors. A similar effect from offset printing can turn out to be costly. If cost is a major concern then offset printing is a better choice for getting prints in black ink.

If time is an important aspect of your business, digital printers are better, generating the prints very quickly. Offset printing is not recommended if the turnaround time needed is less than 24 hours.

It is best to get a sample print of both and then decide what works best for your business. If time and money is not a hindrance then offset printing is a very good choice. However if your business entails small print runs every other months, digital printing must be considered.