The Pros and Cons of Digital Printing

Digital printing can be incredibly helpful and useful but, like everything else, there are upsides and downsides. As far as this technology goes, the pros tend to outweigh the cons, but you should still be aware of the potential problems of any service you’re considering taking advantage of.

Pros

It Saves You Time

You’re probably a pretty busy person, so it’s not at all convenient for you to have to wait a long time for printing jobs. Luckily, digital printing is a super fast process. If you’re on a strict, upcoming deadline, it is a great way to ensure that you get what you need without running out the clock.

It Can Save You Money

It is usually relatively cheap to use a digital printer, at least compared to traditional offset printing. Of course, prices will depend on where you go and how much you need printed off, but as a general rule, digital printing is usually a good choice as far as your wallet is concerned.

Variable Data Printing Is an Option

With these machines, you can make changes to each piece without having to stop or even slow down the printing process. For example, if you need to put a different name, address, or graphic on each piece of paper you print, this offers you the ability to do that. And you don’t have to sacrifice speed. You can swap out entire paragraphs of text without running behind schedule.

The Results Are More Uniform

If you need every piece you print to look exactly identical, it can do that. As the technology doesn’t have to balance ink and water in the process of the press run, you wind up with fewer variations, as well as more accurate counts and not as much waste as in traditional printing.

Cons

You Don’t Have As Many Options

Though these machines are starting to catch up to traditional offset printing, it still is not currently able to provide all the same material mediums. If you need something printed on cloth, wood, leather, metal, or plastic, it may not be an option for you.

It’s Not Guaranteed to Save You Money

While digital is often cheaper than traditional offset printing, once you go over a certain threshold, you might find that you’re not saving as much as you had expected. Usually, once you hit the 1000+ piece mark, the difference in price isn’t terribly large anymore. For smaller runs, it is a smart cost-effective choice. But if you need something printed in commercial quantities, traditional offset printing can be a good call, too.

Potential Cracks

As digital printer ink doesn’t absorb into the paper completely, you might end up getting cracks in the colors of some pieces, especially near edges or where the paper is folded. This generally isn’t a big problem, but it’s something to be aware of.