We will discuss digital versus offset printing, and the advantages and disadvantages of both. If you are looking for local printing in NH, this may answer some of your questions when you visit The Print Factory, located at 15 Factory St. in downtown Nashua, New Hampshire.

Digital printing hit commercial printing world in about 2001. Although this technology is still fairly new, is commanding quite a presence in the printing industry since then. Digital printing quick rise to fame lies in a few key advantages. First off digital printers do not require expensive metal plates to print from. You were also able to produce low quantity jobs by loading them directly into the printer. This enables quicker turnaround time is as little as 24 hours. Another unique advantage that digital printing has over offset printing is the use of variable data. This is a form of printing where elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next. With this process you can utilize graphics and personalized mailings depending on the end recipient’s personal information.

While there are many advantages to digital printing, offset printing still has a huge stronghold over the industry. We find that there is a higher demand for offset printing in NH. Offset printing provides a better control over color, thus offering a better quality end product. Offset printers are also much faster than digital printers and can print up to 18,000 sheets per hour. Another great advantage to offset printers is the fact that you can print at a higher DPI, or dots per inch, providing a crisper, sharper image. And, with offset printing you can choose spot colors which will give you better color coverage, especially in solid areas. With digital printing, you can sometimes get streaks or tone variations that you do not get with offset printing. Offset printers also use liquid inks which are absorbed into the paper, so on folded jobs cracking of the ink will not occur. Smaller jobs are more cost-effective on a digital printer, but when it comes to quality, offset printing stands out. When it comes down to the size of your print job, offset printing can handle larger sheets of paper than Digital printers can. Ink will react differently to different stocks, especially when it comes to offset printing. With digital printing, there is no ink absorption, as the paper is coated. Hopefully, this is giving you some insight as to the differences between digital and offset printing. If you are looking for printing in NH, call The Print Factory in Nashua, New Hampshire at 603-880-4519