Digital Printing
Digital printing originated with large-format and production-quality color laser printers (at small local print shops), and has evolved into high-quality sophisticated equipment. The original – and still most – of digital printing equipment is sheet fed, but there are now multiple digital web printing equipment that are able to increase the breadth of products that are more efficient than offset printing. (See separate blog posts on sheetfed vs. web printing, and offset printing.)
In contrast to conventional offset printing, digital printing is used primarily for low quantity color projects and the equipment either uses toner or liquid ink to print the images. When the specifications and volume are a good match for this technology, it has the distinct advantage of being able to be produced in a very short period of time – just right for emergency projects. It has several other advantages – and drawbacks – and can be a perfect, cost-effective fit for projects that are a fit.
While digital printing typically means you will pay a higher cost per page to run, it has a very low make-ready (setup) cost. So depending on the specifications and quantity of the project, digital printing can have a lower cost per piece than offset. Digital printing has a huge advantage in that you can keep no inventory and print “on-demand” – printing very quickly, only when needed, and only the (small) number you need for that moment.
For projects that are very large and/or produced on non-paper substrates such as banners (on vinyl), signs (on a rigid foam backing), or even very unique surfaces such as glass, digital printing is the only way you can go. And if you want to use Variable Data (see separate Blog post on that topic) – where text, data, and or images can change from piece to piece within a run, digital printing is the technology to use.
In terms of quality, a large amount of digital printing equipment will be able to print with “pleasing” color, which may be perfectly fine for corporate communications. However, if your project needs very accurate fleshtone reproduction and/or food subtleties (such as balancing the color on-press so the food actually looks cold or hot), you may need to go offset.
In summary, different printing methods are only a perfect fit for very specific projects. Make sure to pick the right method for your specifications, needs, and desired outcome!