What is the difference between Digital Printing and Offset Printing?
Digital printing uses dry toner or ink cartridges to print images or text directly from a computer, usually with a bubble-jet or laser process. Offset printing is conventional printing using a printing press and the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water. A plate is produced with the image and is installed on the printing press. The image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based solution, keeping the non-printing areas ink-free. From there, the image is transferred to the paper. Generally, digital printing is the most economical way to print small quantities while offset printing is best utilized for longer print runs. Both methods produce high quality imaging.
Digital printing and offset printing have varying degrees of quality depending upon the equipment on which it is produced. The major difference is that digital printing usually is more expensive per copy but has no expensive plate or set-up-costs, as opposed to offset printing. It is generally less expensive to do shorter runs (2,500 copies or less) using digital presses, and larger runs on offset presses.
A. Digital vs. Offset Offset printing uses plates and inks to impress onto paper. The makeready process of offset varies, but often requires 20-30 minutes to burn the plates, as well as time to mount, register the plates, and bring the output “up to color”. It often takes an hour or more to print a single page. Once up and running however, the economies and speed of offset printing for print runs over 750 pages generally will be better than digital processes. Digital Printing however, uses a different technology altogether. It images with very fine toner. The time it takes to output the first page is usually well under a minute, therefore this latest technology makes short printing runs, or runs from 1 to about 750 impressions less expensive, as well as quicker to produce than offset printing.
