We often receive questions from clients asking whether or not digital printing is right for their project. The advancements in digital technology over the last few years have narrowed the gap between traditional offset printing and the digital printing that CEC offers. So what are the differences and where does digital printing have the advantage?
Digital printing is best suited for short to medium length runs. While we have and certainly can produce higher volume projects, often the price becomes less competitive as the quantity increases.
One of the biggest benefits offered by our digital printing process is quick turn times. We frequently have projects to our clients within 72, 48 or even 24 hours. We can even offer same day service on proofs and small runs if you’re under a tight deadline.
Digital printing is often more cost effective than offset printing. While longer runs will make more financial sense running offset, many of our clients find out that having CEC run a project that has previously been offset printed is much more affordable running digitally.
With variable data and variable image printing, digital printing no doubt has the edge in affordable customization options. CEC can add any variable images and data to the file so it runs in-line with the static imagery.
If you’re ordering 50,000 prints that use a single spot color, chances are offset printing will offer a better price. However, with digital printing, a 4-color job will cost the same as a single color job. So for the same cost, you can get more “pop” from your pieces.
A misconception many of our clients have is that digital printing cannot match spot colors. While this was mostly true in the past, CEC’s digital color press can accurately reproduce nearly 85% of the Pantone Matching System swatch book with at least “commercially acceptable” results.
Another area where digital printing holds a clear advantage is in proofing. If you request a printed proof – which we recommend for all projects, when time allows – that proof will be run on the same machine and paper as the final order. Therefore, your proof will be a very accurate representation of the final product.
CEC’s digital printing process is generally more environmentally friendly than traditional offset printing. Many components of our machines can be rotated for extended use. The dry-inks used are non-hazardous and are in recyclable plastic containers. Sheets printed on our presses are easily de-inked, which aides in paper recycling efforts. Finally, our presses run virtually emissions free.
Please contact us if you would like to know if digital printing is right for your upcoming projects or if you’d like to find out how the price compares on projects you’ve previously had offset printed.