Do You Know the Difference Between Offset vs Digital Printing?

Physical copies of a picture are still important today, which probably won’t change. You can try to make sure that you back up all of your digital files, and you’ll usually succeed. Still, if your device gets damaged at the wrong time, you could end up losing lots of your pictures. You also might want a custom family picture that you can put in a physical picture frame. Photo printing services of all kinds have gotten better over the years, and a printing store chain can give you excellent, artistically presented pictures that you can enjoy for years.

These businesses will have high-quality 10×10 photo paper that they can use each time. Purchasing that paper yourself will be expensive, and you won’t usually get the same results when you use your home printer. If the business says that “we print for you,” you’ll still probably end up with better pictures than that. There’s no reason to purchase lots of equipment and materials yourself unless you’re planning on making these printings regularly enough. Even then, the printing services will probably be more cost-effective. Digital pictures have gotten clearer and sharper over the years, and digital printing has improved in the same way.

Do you know the difference between offset vs digital printing? Do you care? Well, here are some interesting facts about the differences. Early promotional printing methods were not considered economical until the 1800s, so methods to advertise service and products were scarce. The original offset press was developed in two versions. Robert Barclay of England developed a method of printing on tin in 1875, while Ira Washington Rubel of the United States developed a method to print on paper in 1903.

The question of offset vs digital printing came to be as computers entered the printing arena. Digital printing became prevalent as the computer technology advanced, providing the technology to use digital methods of printing, rather than the ink and paper methods of offset printing. Thus, the offset vs digital printing conundrum.

Offset print produces clean, sharp images and type because it can adjust the amount of ink placed on the paper through the use of screw keys. This adjustment ability controls the amount of ink that is placed on the fountain roller. Digital printing places digital based images directly on various types of media without the use of traditional inking techniques. This method allows quick printing services.

Offset vs digital printing also brings economics into play. In certain instances, digital print is less expensive. However, the end product should be considered. Offset may be a better option if it is a high quality, sharp clean piece that is desired. This is a good option to make brochures for high end products and services.

The question of offset vs digital printing may continue for a long time, as long there are different needs for different types of printing. Check with your printing professional for more answers about offset vs digital printing.