Few business managers understand the difference between offset printing and digital printing. This is important to understand for postcard printing in particular, since the difference between offset or digital printing can mean significant savings. So what are these differences? What is the best method for your postcard printing project?
This article reviews the basics of offset printing and digital printing, while also discussing which one’s right for you and when. Knowing the difference can drastically improve quality under the right circumstances.
Offset printing
When you send your postcard printing project to an offset printer, the first thing they have to do is create metal plates which will transfer your images onto the postcard paper. This step is incredibly important and time-consuming, which makes offset printing much more expensive for short run postcard printing projects.
Offset printing is still the king of quality. Your postcards are sure to look great if offset printing is your choice, but keep in mind that the printing firm must to recoup their costs in time and materials to develop the metal plates. This means that short run postcard printing projects through offset printing is not very economical.
Digital printing
Recent innovations in digital printing have meant that now small businesses can have the comparable quality that their larger counterparts have had for years. Digital printing is fast and looks great. Printing firms who use digital printing presses have very little prep work to get a project started.
While digital printing does not look as good as offset printing, the quality is certainly comparable. The biggest drawbacks with digital printing are that fewer paper options are available and large projects do not enjoy the same price breaks that offset printing can offer.
What does all this mean?
For postcard printing projects of 500 postcards or fewer, digital printing is the best way to go. For postcard printing projects of 2000 postcards or more, offset printing is your best bet. For projects that range from 500 to 2000 postcards, you’ll probably see very little price difference. So, depending on the size of your postcard printing project, offset printing or digital printing each has their own distinct advantages.
The best way to avoid any kind of headache when trying to choose between digital and offset printing is to find a printing company that can handle both. This way, you will have the best quality and cost for the quantity of postcards you need.
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