Digital Printing vs Offset Printing: What’s The Difference And Why Does It Matter?

Signage is vital to a business’ reach. Once all the work has been done in terms of design and theme, you need to consider your manner of distribution and your ultimate goal, both of which come with their own specific printing and production means. For example, are you interested in poster printing for booth displays, or are you creating new business cards, or flyers — a.k.a. something that needs to be produced and distributed in large quantities? Depending on your answer to that, you have two options: digital printing or offset printing. Here’s a breakdown of each.

• Digital printing: Digital printing uses toner or larger printers that use liquid ink to produce images. It is the ideal option when lower quantities are needed (usually fewer than 100). It’s also exceptionally variable in terms of data capability, so it can churn out unique codes, names, or addresses quickly and with ease, with no real need to pause and change anything in the machine itself. Digital printing allows you to print only the amount of stock you need, when you need it, and has relatively inexpensive black and white productions.

• Offset printing: Offset printing is defined by its use of plates (usually made from aluminum) to transfer images onto a rubber “blanket”, which is then rolled onto a sheet of paper — “offset” describes the fact that the ink is not directly transferred to the paper This offset printing technology is the best choice when you need a big run of stock printed; best of all, it still provides accurate color reproduction and a professional look.

Research has found that 85% of your customers live or work within a five-mile radius of your storefront, so pumping out quality yet cost-effective materials to advertise is a crucial component of garnering new business — how can they come spend their money if they don’t know where you are, or what you offer? Offset printing technology is perfect for those occasions as it can produce large amounts of quality images to be circulated throughout your neighborhood or city; find the right printing company and you’ll be amazed at how business booms.