There are certain touch words that are flying around at the speed of light these days. IPad, for example. ITunes. Anything with that little “I” in front, really. There are certain keywords flying around the printing industry the same way these days, and most of the conversations about these keywords start and end with digital printing.
The Delirious Delights of Digital Printing
We could be here all day talking about the various delights of digital printing from the printer’s point of view, but there’s an excellent chance you’d end up wandering away with a glassy look in your eyes before it was over! So we’ll subscribe to the KISS method. Digital printing lets us knock jobs out of the ballpark faster and more conveniently because we’re able to transfer them directly from a digital file to print without having the added step of making plates. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we can streamline processes to involve a minimal amount of human labor and still create a maximum amount of efficiency to give our clients the results they’re looking for.
Why Businesses Like It Too
From a business standpoint, digital printing is a greater upfront cost for better results farther down the road. How many times have you ordered a pile of brochures or other marketing materials, only to wind up with more than you needed because you bought in bulk from an offset printing press? We’ve all been there-the boxes filled with outdated marketing materials in the closet, the piles of brochures you’re handing out to the milkman, the “old” business cards that don’t have the right brand (or phone number-two thumbs way up for the power of White Out) but you don’t want to throw away because, well, the darn things cost money!
With digital printing businesses can order in smaller quantities and, in turn, cut back on their waste, leading to greater budget efficiency.
Why Offset Printing Is Still Around
Wait. The title of this article said we were going to be talking about offset printing, right? Hello? Is anyone else noticing there’s something missing here? Why are we suddenly all about the properties of digital printing?
Just because digital printing has its place doesn’t mean that offset printing is dead and gone. That’s right, breathe…now relax…The people out there making offset printing presses aren’t going out of business anytime soon. Offset printing is absolutely the right answer for you if you’re in the market for a large quantity of product (specifically, 1,000 or more) because that’s about the point for most printers at which they break even on the cost to produce their printed materials (namely, the manpower involved) and turn their attention to helping you save money on your cost per piece.
The other perk to offset printing, although digital printing is catching up quick, is the variety in mediums you have. Most of the non-paper printing you see in this day and age comes off of an offset printing press. With offset printing you can print on cloth, wood, plastic, class and just about any other medium you can dream up for the promotion of your business. Will that always be the case? Who knows? Technology changes at the speed of light. All we know is that right now, we’re still doing our best to give our offset presses the TLC they deserve.
