5 Advantages Of Digital Printing

09/06/2017

Print technology is evolving, and we are seeing more and more digital technology being used within the industry. Many people are finding themselves coming up with the same question – why? Well, in a world where the provision of goods and services is expected almost instantaneously, the move from more traditional methods to digital systems was surely going to be a natural one. The onset of mobile and wireless also means that the latest generation of digital printing technology has become more accessible to the masses.

Here are some of the reasons digital printing has proven to be so popular…

Cost

While the unit cost of each piece may be higher than with offset printing, when setup costs are included digital printing provides lower per unit costs for small print runs.

When a printing project is small, offset printing can take a long time to set up and ultimately cost more.

This means that, no matter how small a project may be, it is more cost-effective to use fast and efficient digital printing services.

The user is also given greater flexibility, as with digital printing products, no minimum orders or quotas need to be matched – unlike with traditional methods.

This freedom allows money to be saved as people are only required to purchase the exact amount required, rather than having to over order, and in turn, over pay.

Proofing

When a particular document or image needs to be produced hundreds or even thousands of times, proofing is absolutely essential.

However, as mentioned above, using traditional methods to print very small quantities is almost impossible, meaning proofing can be really tricky and in some cases, impossible.

The same cannot be said for digital printing. A single print is easy and inexpensive to produce, meaning proofing is both possible and effortless.

Customisation

Digital print methods can print variable data on each individual piece, such as names or addresses, without stopping or slowing down the process.

Using information from a database or external file, text and graphics can be changed without stopping or slowing down the process.

For example, personalised letters can be printed with a different name and address on each letter with very little user effort.

Digital printing also allows design manipulations to happen in a prompt fashion.

If a proof is produced and the image or document isn’t satisfactory, then it can be changed with minimal effort.

Digital data is updated and stored easily, meaning designs can have different variances between each print.

Speed

Digital printing needs minimal press setup, meaning it carries a far quicker response time.

In comparison to other methods, the entire digital printing process is streamlined and simplified.

There are less overall steps and as a result of this the final product can be delivered in a far quicker length of time, meaning turnaround times are significantly less to those involved with other methods.

Environment

With digital printing, there are no pre-press stages between the digital document file and the final print.

This means that unlike other, more traditional methods, there is no need for those environmentally unfriendly film plates or photo chemicals.