Your Digital Printing Cheat Sheet

Last time we gave you the details about traditional offset printing, but now there's a contender for your printing dollars. Digital printing has been advancing rapidly. It is now the technology of choice for small, quick runs, and is a better choice for certain print jobs.   Here's a digital printing cheat sheet, so you know when it works and when it doesn't-that way you get exactly the printing you want.  

Benefits

Speed: Digital printing goes straight from the computer to the machine. The setup is almost nonexistent, which means a project can go to press faster and have a rapid turnaround.   

Variable Data: Want to send a mailer with each prospect's name? Or tailor the information to their interests? Digital printers will let you do that. This is a trick that traditional presses can't perform, and it's one of the best changes of the digital revolution.   

Cost: For a small number of pieces, digital printing delivers at a lower cost than traditional offset presses. This is great if you want to print just a few pieces, or test different marketing pieces on your prospects.   

Instant Proofs: Digital printers provide instant feedback on your design. You can get a single copy that will look like the finished product and know that you're happy with the result before spending the money on a full order. 
 
Consistency: Because of the physical application of ink to paper on traditional presses, minor variations sometimes creep into the finished product. You would only notice it comparing them side-by-side, but with digital printing, every piece is identical.   

Less Waste: Digital printers work like high-powered versions of your personal printer. The only thing that goes in is paper and toner. There are no leftover plates or test runs that have to be thrown away.   

Drawbacks Color: Colors can vary slightly between digital presses, and may not look exactly like they do on your computer. Large areas of solid color may also pick up slight inconsistencies, rather than being a single tone.   

Quality: The digital process doesn't bond ink to paper in the same way, so the finish is easier to damage. Folds will usually introduce cracking to digitally printed images.   

Resolution: With current technology, images just aren't as clear as an offset press can create. But they get closer with every new machine.   

Large Runs: Offset printing has a scalability benefit. As you print more pieces, the setup costs get spread out more, so the cost per piece goes down. Digital presses are the same price for every piece. Eventually they catch up with the costs of traditional printing for large runs.  

When to Use Digital

• You want it now!
• Each piece has to be personalized
• You are printing a small number of pieces
• The budget is an important factor

The digital revolution gives you more choices when it comes to printing, but you need to know exactly what you're getting.Most online discount printers only print digitally, which may not be the best choice for your project.

 Always ask your printer how they are going to handle your printing, and find out if that will meet your needs.  Many times, a simple conversation with one of our printing experts can help you determine exactly which printing process to use. 

We're always available to help you figure out how to make your business look good.