What is the difference between offset printing and digital printing? Offset and digital - differences, advantages and disadvantages.

You need to print something. You are not a printing expert. Then this memo is FOR YOU!

Where to start? Where and how to print? Let's talk about this - IN A SIMPLE WAY, in a language that even a non-specialist can understand!

Now - about printing methods...

PRINTING METHOD: DIGITAL OR OFFSET?

TASK! You need to print: business cards, certificates, diplomas, booklets, labels, stickers, leaflets, letterheads, thank you letters, posters, playbills, drawings, projects, postcards, tickets, certificates, catalogues, calendars, presentations, newspapers, magazines and (or) you never know what else... (underline as appropriate) . ☺

Where and how best to do this?

CHOOSING A PRINTING HOUSE IS, first of all, CHOOSING A PRINTING METHOD.

(i) Let's make a reservation right away: in modern world There are many printing methods that are developing in step with new technologies in the field of printing!

And yet!..

THERE ARE TWO MAIN PRINTING METHODS:

Offset (offset printing);
- digital (online) printing.

Offset printing:

This is printing on offset machines. Without going into details, then, in a simple way, it looks like this: they loaded a huge roll of paper into an offset machine, inserted offset plates with an imprint of the image that needs to be printed, poured paint into the machine, pressed the “on” button. - and off we go... To make it completely clear, newspapers and magazines are printed using the offset method! Although, of course, they are not the only ones...

Digital printing:

Well, everything is clear here! You printed, say, a document on your computer, pressed the “print” button, and after a couple of seconds your printer buzzed and gave you a sheet of paper with a printed document. This is it digital printing! True, in printing houses these printers will be larger and more powerful!..

PROS AND CONS:

+ The offset printing method has two main advantages:

1. Relative cheapness of printing.
2. Possibility of printing very large runs.

- There are also two main disadvantages:

1. Enough long terms print.

   (i) From the moment you place an order at the printing house until you receive the printed edition, it can take from several days to several weeks - nothing can be done, the technology is like that.

2. 2. Inappropriateness of printing small runs.

(i) Offset is ideal for printing large runs; for small runs it is unprofitable, because for ten copies you will have to pay for all the same technological operations as for a thousand.

+ Digital (online) printing has more advantages:

1. Speed ​​of order fulfillment.

(i) The period of time from the moment you place an order at the printing house until you receive the printed copy can vary from several minutes to several hours. It’s not for nothing that the second name for digital printing is OPERATIVE!

2. Possibility of printing small runs - from one copy.

3. Individual approach to a “piece” exclusive order (personalization).

Example: You need to print five identical postcards. The only difference between them is the full name of the recipients. For offset printing this is unrealistic, but for online printing it’s easy!

– And there are fewer minuses:

1. Unlike offset printing - more high price per copy.

CONCLUSIONS:

If you need to print a very large print run (3,000, 20,000, 100,000 copies) or the price comes first for you when completing an order, and deadlines are difficult, then offset printing will be the right choice!

If deadlines and an individual approach are important to you when fulfilling an order, and you need a relatively small print run, then only DIGITAL (OPERATIVE) PRINTING!

P. S.: Let me express one thought, as they say, from myself. Let's get closer to real life. The Russian mentality on the issue of punctuality is very different from, say, the German one. Hence the often encountered situation - when asked by a specialist from a printing company: “When do you need a finished order?” - in 80-85% of cases the customer’s answer will be: “Yesterday!” Friends, be realistic: DIGITAL (OPERATIONAL) PRINTING IS EXACTLY FOR THE RUSSIAN MENTALITY!!! ☺

1. What is the difference between digital and offset printing technology?

Offset printing is a method of printing an image on plastic, in which ink is transferred from a printing plate under pressure to an intermediate rubber surface, and from there to a plastic blank.

Digital printing is a printing process that allows the production of printed products bypassing the processes of film output and printing plate manufacturing.

2. What are the minimum print runs for offset and digital printing?

Digital printing is distinguished by the ability to print small (up to 500 pieces) and ultra-small (from 1 piece) circulations, the production of which using offset is unprofitable and expensive.

3. Deadlines for offset and digital printing

Digital printing has made the cherished dream of every customer come true - “bring a layout on a medium, printed a test copy and within an hour received a finished edition” - and this is the biggest advantage of digital printing.

The minimum period for offset printing is three days, which is due to the need for pre-press and post-print processing.

4. Summary

Important advantages of digital printing compared to traditional offset, namely:
Low cost per print for small print runs.
Efficiency.
High print quality
Ability to print on some non-absorbent materials
Possibility of personalization.

Have this method seals and cons.

The first (and most important) of them is the technical impossibility of accurately matching the colors of the Pantone scale, which is used to control color in printing.
The machine can only print as similar as possible, but the color will not clearly match the scale. As an analysis of the development of digital printing technology shows, this problem has already been successfully resolved and will soon simply disappear.

The second disadvantage is the inability to print with metallic inks (although some types of machines, theoretically, can do this); this option is not used in Russia due to a number of technological reasons.

The third disadvantage is the insufficient quality of raster transmission. This is due to the features of the digital rasterization algorithm. This problem is also being successfully corrected and will also disappear with the advent of new printing systems.

For the production of large quantities of products, the offset printing method is simply irreplaceable. This is due to the peculiarities of production technology, where the equipment is designed for a certain minimum printing batch. If, for example, you use a circulation volume less than this minimum, then the amount of materials used will be the same. It follows from this that printing a small batch will cost more than a large batch, because The smaller the circulation, the higher the price.

Advantages of this type of printing:

1. High quality reproduction of the original image. Offset is distinguished by excellent clarity and brightness of color reproduction.

2. Large circulations in the shortest possible time.

The disadvantages of offset printing include:

Post-press processing. Offset printing requires processing, which makes printing small runs more expensive

With offset printing, identification and numbering cannot be applied.

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Clients who are dealing with printing for the first time do not always understand the difference between offset and digital printing. You can even hear the opinion that there are no differences at all between these two technologies. However, an experienced specialist is ready to give a whole list of features of a particular seal. Let's take a closer look at them.

Digital and offset printing: differences

Digital printing is carried out using laser printers. For this technology characteristic features and the advantages are efficiency, as well as the ability to order small quantities. The size of the circulation has virtually no effect on the cost of one copy.

What is the difference between offset printing and digital printing? The larger the circulation, the lower the cost per copy. This is due to technological costs. To print a booklet or other printed products using the offset method, you first need to remove the films. Films made using photo output are considered the highest quality and are more expensive. A separate film is produced for each color and, as a rule, there are four such films - for blue, yellow, black and purple. For additional color (for example, pantone), additional film is used. Pantone shades include shades that imitate silver, gold and bronze. Each film is made into a form, which is installed on the printing press, after which the printing process can begin.

Today there is equipment that allows you to bypass the film production stage, which significantly speeds up the work. When using a single-color machine, one color is first applied (rolled) to the paper, after which the used form is removed and another is installed in its place - the next color, and the entire circulation is re-rolled. The cycle is repeated until a full-color image is obtained. To cut costs, you can use only one or two colors. In this case, the number of forms, films and, accordingly, rolling is reduced.

The main advantages of offset printing: favorable cost per copy for a large print run, production of products in A1 format, large print runs (a thousand copies or more), the ability to use pantone inks.

At the First Printing Supermarket you can order both offset and digital printing.

Ordinary people who do not often use the services of printing companies are unlikely to think about the differences between digital and offset printing. Even among those who order brochures, leaflets or posters from time to time, not everyone knows the features of these methods. But experts can explain in detail all the pros and cons of digital and offset printing. We will try to tell you about these features in an accessible way.

Technological process of offset and digital printing

Digital printing uses a color laser printer. The main advantage of this type of printing is the speed of order fulfillment. For example, you can hand over a design in the morning and pick up the finished product in the afternoon. Plus, with digital printing, it is possible to order a circulation of one copy. It should be noted that the number of sheets does not affect the increase or decrease in price. As a rule, it is the same money.

With offset printing, exactly the opposite happens. The larger the order circulation, the less money you will pay per printed copy of the product. This feature of this type of printing is associated with technological costs. If you have submitted a magazine, booklet, leaflet or book for circulation, then before the printing process itself, special films are printed. To obtain them, he uses the photo-output method. It should be noted that films made in this way are of higher quality than those printed even on an expensive laser printer, but they are much more expensive. Good quality Printing from films is achieved by having a separate photo output for each color. Typically, four films are output - black, magenta, blue and yellow flowers. Sometimes a pantone color is added to them, which is considered additional and optional. Pantone colors are imitation of silver, bronze and gold.

A form is produced directly for each film, which is placed on the printing device and then the printing process itself begins. On at the moment modern technologies have appeared in the printing industry printing presses, thanks to which you can avoid using films. Thus, the printing process is accelerated and becomes more affordable in monetary terms. There are single-color printing presses. In this case, during printing, one color is first applied, then the shape is changed, another color is printed, and so on until all the colors are applied. The result should be a beautiful full-color image.
It is possible to reduce financial costs by using one or two colors during printing. In this way, the required number of films, forms and rolled products can be reduced. Digital printing is completely devoid of such red tape. Of course, black and white and color images will have different prices.

The advantages of these types of printing

Main positive features offset printing are: saving the cost of ordering large quantities in terms of the price of one copy, the ability to print in large A1 format, since the maximum format for digital printing is A2, and the use of pantone inks.
But digital printing is different in its high quality, speed of production and the ability to order a minimum quantity.