30/01/2023
The difference between offset and digital printing.
What is Offset Printing?
Offset printing is a traditional and common printing method that uses a printing press with printing plates and wet ink. This method produces the highest quality print work while still serving as the cost-efficient choice for large quantity print projects.
The Process
With offset printing, first, the image is placed onto a plate, coated with ink, then the plate is flushed with water to ensure that ink does not apply to the areas of the design that are meant to be blank. The image is then transferred (or “offset”) from the plate to a rubber blanket, and finally offset again onto the sheet of paper, producing a clean, crisp image.
Since offset printing uses a 4-color process, CMYK, this process is repeated 4 times, one for each color, until the desired colors are produced. The ink is applied as tiny dots, which when combined in different concentration levels of each, produce the specific hue.
What is Digital Printing?
Digital printing is a method of printing that uses a digital-based image to directly print on a variety of different media from paper stocks to signage materials. The types of printers used for professional digital printing are large-format or high-volume laser or inkjet printers. Typically, digital prints come at a higher cost than those printed with the offset printing method because of the on-demand printing it offers due to shorter production times.
The Process
Digital printing has a much more direct process, as it does not require as much pre-press work. One must keep in mind that digital printing technology can vary with different machines and printers, which will in turn, affect everything from the turnaround, to the quality of the prints. Typically, most digital presses use laser technology to expose the image onto a drum or belt, after which charged toner is attracted to the image, then transferred onto the paper.
The more advanced digital process is on a digital press with a plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and an impression cylinder, which means that the quality of the prints is very high and comparable to that produced by offset presses. In addition, using liquid ink produces optimal results.
