PRINTING

Offset vs Digital Printing
Offset printing is a 4-color process accomplished by the transfer of ink on etchings or plates (made of flexible polyester or mylar) one color at a time to a rubber sheet, and then from the sheet to the printing surface, like paper or plastic. The four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black, when combined, can produce over 16,000 individual printed colors. Offset printing presses date back to over a hundred years ago. Technological advances have kept offset as a printing standard, similar to how the first cars have evolved to our electric, self-driving vehicles of today.

Both inkjet and laser printing are digital printing. Inkjet sprays ink directly onto the printing surface (usually paper). Laser printing melts a plastic-based powder (toner) and uses heat to fuse it to the printing surface (usually paper). The end product is clean and crisp, but can often crack when folded.

Which is better? That depends. Offset printing always produces a higher quality image and is foldable. It can also allow for a coat of UV (ultra-thin gloss plastic) or aqueous matte coating (ultra-thin water-based coat). Digital does not. Digital printing can be very high quality and is usually a faster print, as well as a more local print. Offset is quite often more expensive at very low quantities, but even at medium quanti-ties, offset can beat digital in price…but usually not time. GayDenver offers both!