Digital Printing vs. Press Printing -
A Comparison Guide
By: Erin Ferree
When it comes time to print your brand identity
materials, theres one overarching question for you
to consider whether to print the resulting materials
on a digital printer or traditional press. There are
many differences between the two processes, some of
which are outlined below.
Digital Printing
Less expensive Digital printing is a direct-to-paper
printing process. As a result, it often runs about
one-half of the cost of press printing.
Lose color accuracy Digital printing is a four-color
printing process. Four colors cyan, magenta, yellow,
and black are printed in tiny dots that when
visually mixed together, create various colors.
This, in addition to the different set-ups and
settings on the machines from press-to-press,
batch-to-batch and printer-to-printer, can produce a
wide range of different color results. You can never
be certain what youll get.
Lose color range Four-color printing has limitations
on the brightness, saturation, and range of colors
available when mixing colors in this way. To produce
bright reds, oranges, blues, and purples,
especially, press printing is a better choice.
Cost of proofing Proofing is one way to produce
accurate color. Proofing can be costly, especially
when compared to the overall cost of the job. But,
since the proof is created on the same equipment
that the final job is printed on, it is often quite
accurate.
Can be faster Since no pre-press work or press setup
is needed, running your job on a digital press can
be faster, depending on how many jobs the printer
has in the queue before yours. Some printers can
even offer same-day service. Three days is a
standard turnaround time for many of the web-based
digital printing companies.
Limited paper choice Digital presses can only
accommodate a limited paper thickness, and many
digital printing companies only offer smooth, white
papers. Thus, if a thick business card is important
to you, then digital printing is not your right
choice.
Limited finishing choices Foil stamping, metallic
inks, and embossing services are usually not offered
by digital printing houses. Some digital printers
also do not offer die-cutting or special folding
services.
Limited choice of material sizes, styles, and
formats Digital printers will offer a very specific
menu or range of products. If you want to create
innovative marketing materials, such as the
brochure-style business cards that we create at elf
design, then digital printing is not a choice for
your project. Large formats are also not available
with many digital printers, as the largest paper
size they can accommodate is 11 x 17.
Press Printing
More costly The difference in costs is mainly due to
setup costs. For press printing, films must be
produced, and plates may have to be produced as
well, which are additional items that add to the
overall cost. Additional time is involved in setting
up and aligning the press, as well as washing the
press. Also, there are more overruns from
traditional printing, since you cannot program in a
specific number of pages to be printed as you can
with a digital printer. Most printers consider
overruns to be billable, or they add an additional
cost for that into the initial estimate. Jobs done
on a press will typically run about twice the cost
of digital printing.
Excellent color accuracy The Pantone Matching System
(PMS) offers great color accuracy. Pantone colors
are mixed to precise, pre-set specifications, which
are printed each year in their color matching
guides. You can consult these books to see exactly
what the final color will look like in advance. Its
a lot like going to the paint store and specifying
colors for your home on the paint chips they offer
you know what youll get. So, if color accuracy is
important to you, then press printing may be the
best choice.
Brighter colors are available Since the Pantone
colors are mixed using inks, they can be created to
be much brighter and more intense. So, if lively
colors are important to your brand image, then press
printing may be the way to go.
Cost of proofing For four-color press jobs, proofing
is often not too expensive when compared to the
overall cost of the job. However, it can be
inaccurate, depending on the type of proof run and
the type of press on which your final job will be
printed.
For two- or three- color jobs printed using the
Pantone system, complete color proofing is often not
available. However, samples of the colors are
available in the Pantone books. And, inexpensive
laser prints or inkjet prints can be created to view
the positioning of the elements of the page. With a
little imagination, you can visualize how the final
job will look.
Press printing can take longer than digital There
are several additional steps involved in press
printing, which are taken care of using
direct-to-press, digital technology. Films and
plates must be made, the press set up, run the job
and then tune us needed for drying. Then cutting,
folding, and other finishing must take place.
Types of paper Choose from an entire rainbow of
paper colors fire-engine red to deep blue, sunflower
yellow to pitch black. There is also a wide range of
thicknesses and textures from which to choose,
including specialty papers, such as vellum and
metallic papers. If you are considering using
nontraditional paper your card or materials, press
printing is the best way to go.
Fine line screens are available The result of this
is that even under close inspection, the color will
look smooth and seamless. It will also appear
brighter and more intense.
Wide range of finishing techniques All finishing
options are possible with press printing. Metallic
inks can be run through the press as easily as can a
nonmetallic ink. Embossing, die cutting, and foil
stamping can be done in traditional printing houses.
You can create materials that really stand out using
these techniques.
Innovative formats, shapes, and sizes are possible
Traditional press printing can accommodate a wide
range of paper sizes and can result in innovative
and creative finished projects. This is largely due
to the have-it-your-way range of options, where you
can specify special sizes and finishing techniques.
We hope that the above primer on the pros and cons
of both digital printing and press printing helps
you to decide which you will choose to produce your
materials.
About the Author
Erin Ferree is a logo, print, and web designer who
has been making it easy for small businesses to
stand out and to be visible, credible, and memorable
for the past nine years.
http://www.elf-design.com
|
