How Does Digital Printing Work?
June 30, 2008 – 4:24 pmDigital printing is the reproduction of digital images on a physical surface, such as paper or plastic.
It can be differentiated from litho printing in many ways, some of which are;
- Every impression made onto the paper can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same thing from one set of plates, as in traditional litho printing methods.
- The Ink or Toner does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional Inks, but forms a layer on the surface this is the biggest giveaway that something has been printed digitally.
- It generally requires less waste in terms of chemicals used and paper wasted in set up and does not need the initial costs of plate making.
- It is excellent for rapid prototyping, or small print runs which means that it is more accessible to a wider range of designers.
An example of major commercial digital printing systems are Xerox Digital Printing Solutions.
Digital Printing is now moving into personalised printing with the advent of variable data printing. A good example of this would be personalised direct mailing products and digital flyer printing products. Most digital runs are only economical under 1,000 runs.
2 Responses to “How Does Digital Printing Work?”
Would you say that Digital Printing is suitable for the same requirements as Litho printing, or do you feel theres areas where Digital is a better option and Litho is a better option, quantity regardless?
By tomdavison on Jul 1, 2008
Once quantities reach more than 1,000 (approx) it becomes cheaper to run litho as the costs of the initial set up and plates are diminished by the run length.
The quality of digital is almost as good in most applications. Some flat colours suffer under digital but thats about it these days.
The ink not impregnating the paper can cause issues but thats about all there is between them these days…digital has come along way in 10 years!
By darrenweavers on Jul 1, 2008