When you’re looking to print business cards, posters and marketing materials, you want to find the best quality printing technique for the job. Not only does well-printed material look and feel great, but it allows you to appear more professional and represent your brand in the way it was intended.
In the printing industry, two of the most common techniques are digital printing and lithographic printing. But which is more appropriate for your next job? Below, we’ve put together the pros and cons of each method to help you decide which one you should use.
What is digital printing?
If you have a printer at home, then the chances are that you’ll know exactly how digital printing works. As one of the most common printing forms, digital printers use colour dots to produce an image from your artwork using a toner or cartridge ink.
The benefits of digital printing
Digital printing is cost-effective, and is ideal for small print runs as there is very little setup involved in the printing process. This allows for a more personalised service, as you can customise your pages with names, numbers or addresses. Quick turnaround is another digital printing benefit.
The drawbacks of digital printing
Although digital printing is fast and effective, the finished product will not have an added coating to extend the longevity of the product. If your digital printer uses a toner, then there are chances that your material will be cracked when it creases and folds, and there may be bubbling when laminating.
What is lithographic printing?
While digital printing offers a cost-effective and efficient result, lithographic printing is more thorough and follows traditional printing practices. Lithographic printing works by transferring an inked image from a printing plate to a rubber blanket, which is then pressed against paper or card.
In general, artwork is separated into four printing plates, each focusing on one specific colour (cyan, magenta, yellow or black). When combined, these colours create a full-colour print.
The benefits of lithographic printing
Although there is a cost attached to getting a lithographic printer job ready, the cost per copy works out cheaper than digital on longer printing runs. New technology, known as computer to plate technology, is helping to reduce the setup time and provide a more accurate finish.
Lithographic focuses on just four colours – however, special or spot inks can be added to enhance the appearance of the item and large areas of solid colours come out smoother and without pixels.
The drawbacks of lithographic printing
One of the biggest drawbacks of lithographic printing is the fact it takes time to make the equipment print ready, which makes litho printing unsuitable for short-run printing. The turnaround time for lithographic printing is longer than it would be for digital, as the ink needs time to dry before finishing and coating, so when it comes to last minute jobs, digital printing is more effective.
At JAK, we offer a range of digital and lithographic printing services through JAK Print. If you are looking for business cards, flyers, letterheads or roller banners, click here to visit our print shop.