Digital Printing

Digital printing is a type of printing that translates an image directly from a computer onto paper. In traditional printing, a plate is used; the image is transferred to the plate, and then from the plate to the paper. Digital printing eliminates the plate. Desktop printers are examples of digital printers. The quality of digital prints varies, from very basic to extremely good.

Advantages of Digital Printing

Digital printing is a very fast process. Things ordered through a digital printing process can be done within one or two days. Printing with plates, or offset printing, takes longer, typically a week. Digital printing can also be manipulated much easier, since nothing needs to be changed except the image being printed. Thus, you are not stuck in just one design for printing, but can change easily as needed.

Digital printing is very accessible. Local copy stores can offer digital printing, and office equipment is easy to purchase. There is often no need to go through a large printer with digital printing.

Finally, because digital printing does not use plates, it is cheaper to use for smaller projects. The cost per page will be the same no matter how many pages are ordered; with plate printing, often a very large number has to be ordered just to get the process started.

Disadvantages of Digital Printing

Although digital printing can be very high quality, it is typically not quite as good as plate printing. If small amounts of things are being printed, digital printing is more economical, but if large amounts of the same thing need to be printed, offset printing is probably a better deal.

Digital Printing Equipment

Because the range of digital printing (in quality and quantity) varies widely, so does the equipment. If your needs are simple, such as printing in an office, any number of office printers will work excellently. If you have higher-volume needs, you may want to go through a professional printer rather than spending the money for the equipment yourself. The key is to determine what your needs are and research the available options to get the best deal possible, whether through buying equipment or using others'.

By Kiersten Brazier