Technology is changing everything too fast. It affects every aspect of life, and printing is one of them. Printing has been changed too frequently since it was first invented in 1439. Modern printing under the developing technology has progressed a lot. The speed, quality, and colorful digital printing have taken printing to a new era. Now it is easy to get good quality colorful prints within no time. Well, everything we use in our printing business has its pros and cons. Digital printing is the modern technology used in the textile industry. But before choosing it for your business, you need to understand its advantages and disadvantages as many other printing solutions are also useful. There is not only one solution for all problems. Similarly, different textile industries need different printing methods at various stages.
WHAT IS DIGITAL PRINTING?
Digital printing, as the name, shows the method of printing materials. It is best for a smaller printing material or products where variable data like barcodes or addresses are needed. In digital printing, ink or toner is directly applied to the paper. Digital printing uses high-resolution digital-based files to produce images on paper instead of using metal sheets like traditional methods. It is best for smaller to medium size printing and also saves time and money.
PROS AND CONS OF DIGITAL PRINTING
Before choosing digital printing for your business, you need to find its advantages and disadvantages. Here we are sharing the research-based pros and cons of digital printing to save your time.
PROS
FAST TURN AROUND
Digital printing offers a much faster turnaround than the traditional offspring printing method. It is best for small to large numbers of printing with less time than usual printing methods require. If you have all the supplies available, digital printing will complete the printing project at once for you. The reason behind its faster technique is that it does not use a giant metal sheet to print. Instead, it uses paper, and the image that is being printed is a digital file and uses less time. It is ideal for copping orders with tight deadlines.
COST LESS
Digital printing gives the option of printing at a small level which makes it cost-effective. It has a short setup time and does not need large steel plates, which saves cost. Digital printing also saves cost due to its inline finishing capabilities. It gives us the option of skipping bindery costs. If you need to print a small number of pieces, digital printing is the best option.
ALLOWS TO PRINT ENTIRE SHEET
In offset, printing grippers are used to grab the paper and pull it through the press, which makes it impossible to print the entire sheet at one time. It is not the case in digital printing. Digital presses use rollers to move the paper through the press during the printing process. It makes possible to print more part of entire paper or sheet.
PAPER OPTIONS
Now, as digital printing increases, paper-making companies are also embracing the digital printing world. They are creating the kind of paper that suits digital printing. These papers are capable of handling heat that generates by the digital presses. The finishing product looks and feels like the products of offset printing papers. These paper finishes such as gloss, satin, and matte are well-made with digital papers and get the same result like offset paper results.
FLEXIBILITY
Traditional offset printing does not allow you to print different images on each page. But if you need to do it, digital printing allows you to do it. It is flexible enough to allow you to print various images on many pages, which makes digital printing more flexible than any other method. If you need to print a unique name or data on different pages, you should choose digital printing. It also gives you the option of making frequent changes in your printed materials which is not possible in any other printing method.
VIBRANT COLORS
As digital printing technology improves itself, printing with the same color gamut as offset printing is possible. A digital press can now print rosette patterns, and it is impossible to distinguish its looks from offset printing.
CONS
COLOR PROBLEMS
If you want to print light colors on dark-colored papers, then digital printing is not suitable. It cannot run dark colors. Printing light colors like white on blue or black paper offset press will be the right choice for you. Secondly, instead of constantly improving, digital printing can still not match the color quality of traditional printing due to its four-color process. At the same time, offset printers produce the best quality color printing by using PMS and ink.
LOW-QUALITY PRINTING
Digital printing almost reaches the quality of offset printing in some colors. But unfortunately, some color printing does not match the high quality of offset printing. It is not suitable for printing blues and tans due to its low-quality results.
SMALL PAPER SIZE
Offset printing presses can take the paper size of 20*28 to 40 from half-sized presses to full-size presses. At the same time, digital printing is not flexible enough in size. Digital presses use small size paper for printing which limits their printing option.
CONCLUSION
Digital presses have brought a revolution in the world of textile and printing. They are faster, flexible, and cost-effective. But there are many disadvantages of digital printing which we should consider before choosing it. It is ideal for small printing orders and suitable for a variety of print materials. But it is not ideal for printing light colors on dark color papers. It is ideal for unique printing but not cost-effective in the long term. Digital printing is improving with time by using technology. But still, a lot more has to be done to replace traditional printing completely.