Digital printing is a newer process that uses complex computing to tell the machine what to print. It can be an ideal solution for on-demand or short print runs and also makes personalization easier than ever before.
It saves time and money compared to older printing methods by eliminating the need for screens and extra materials like emulsion. It’s an environmentally friendly option too.
Inkjet Printing
Inkjet printing is a digital imaging process that uses print heads with piezoelectric crystals to squirt ink drops onto a substrate. The ink droplets are precisely controlled and deposited by the print head, allowing high resolution and accurate positioning. Inkjet printers can produce images with a wide range of colors and textures, including text, photographs, line drawings and graphics. The technology has several benefits over other printing methods, including higher speed and better color reproduction. In addition, inkjet printing produces less waste and is more environmentally friendly than other types of printing. Cliff Digital color transfers are a good option if you are into a printing business.
In inkjet printing, the computer converts digital text or photo files into a format that the printer can understand and then sends these instructions to the print head. The print head then dispenses ink or toner onto the paper according to the instructions it receives from the computer. The print head can also be repositioned to create different patterns or to change the size of a particular area on the page. This versatility makes inkjet printers a good choice for creating documents that require a lot of text or for producing full-color photos.
A variety of inks are used in modern printers, including traditional dye-based inks and water-soluble pigments. The CMYK ink set-up found in most desktop inkjet printers produces a full-color palette and is ideal for printing brochures, flyers and marketing materials that need to include vibrant images. In addition, some inkjet printers use specialized nozzles that can deliver different types of pigments or even solid particles for special effects.
Most desktop inkjet printers are equipped with a single-pass scanning system to ensure that each image is captured and printed accurately. Many commercial printing companies and in-plant print shops utilize production inkjet presses to produce financial statements and bills, direct mail pieces, books, magazines, catalogs and indoor display graphics. These large inkjet presses may also be equipped with spectrophotometers and other quality inspection systems to adjust for clogged or misaligned print heads and to spot problems that might affect the overall look of the finished product.
Functional inkjet printing is a digital structuring process that can transfer a broad range of materials, from metals to ceramics, directly onto a substrate. The low viscosity of the inks enables them to be deposited into complex structures and allows the creation of fully functional electrical devices such as organic LEDs and organic solar cells. The technology is also uniquely capable of printing layers in 3D, making it useful for rapid prototyping and manufacturing.
Laser Printing
We often see lasers in the movies cutting through chunks of metal or blasting enemy spaceships to smithereens, but these powerful beams also play an important role in our everyday lives as well. They write text and images on paper in laser printers that we use for work, school and home. The laser printing process, which uses electrophotographic technology, has changed the way we communicate and exchange information over the past several decades.
Laser printers convert data sent from a computer into print commands that are then translated into laser light irradiating (exposed) onto a cylindrical photosensitive drum. The drum has a coating that is electrically charged; the laser light passes over it and causes the static charge to dissipate only where an image is to be printed. This creates a pattern of positive charges that resemble the desired image on the drum.
After the pattern has been etched into the surface of the drum, a sheet of paper is passed over the drum. The paper’s negative charge pulls the granules of toner from the drum and transfers them to the paper. The toner is then fused with heat and pressure, which permanently bonds it to the paper as a high-quality print.
When the print job is completed, the toner is trapped inside the paper and the paper is rolled through the fuser and onto a stack of other printed pages. A waste toner bottle collects excess toner that doesn’t transfer, preserving the device and ensuring optimal performance.
Today’s laser printers are typically connected to a network and may provide scanning, copying and fax capabilities as well. They are available in both standalone models for personal or office use and multifunction printers that support entire departments and workgroups.
When it comes to choosing the best type of laser printer for your specific application, working with a specialist coding and marking provider that can provide consultative advice and test your materials will help you choose the right technology for your requirements. This can ensure that your prints are crisp and clear and that you are getting the most from your investment in the long term.
Digital Offset Printing
When preparing for printing, there’s a lot to consider: design, copy and color scheme are all important elements, but so is the print method. Choosing the right printing method is crucial to ensure your final product meets or exceeds your expectations and is produced within your budget. Digital and offset printing are two of the most popular options. However, each offers its own set of benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to choose the right one for your project.
The biggest advantage of digital printing is its ability to produce small runs quickly and cost-effectively. It also excels at personalization, allowing businesses to easily modify images and messages using variable data printing (VDP). With advancements in quality and speed, digital printing’s previous disadvantages are slowly disappearing, and it is now closing the gap on offset output.
Another big advantage of digital printing is its use of eco-friendly materials. This is because it skips the traditional printing process of etching metal plates and applying ink with rollers, reducing waste by up to 90%. Additionally, digital printers are able to use recycled paper and reduce carbon emissions by up to 70% when compared to offset printing.
As with inkjet and laser printers, the digital printing machine applies a print directly to a substrate with liquid ink or powdered toner. The biggest difference between digital and offset printing is the size of the sheets used; digital presses run on smaller sheet sizes, typically 19″ with some machines going up to 29″. This sometimes restricts the kinds of finishing work that can be done on a job, for example, embossing, foil stamping and die cutting.
When deciding between digital and offset printing, the quantity of your project is the key factor. Offset printing is cheaper for larger quantities as the upfront plate and makeready costs are spread over more units. For this reason, it is still the preferred printing method for folding cartons and other large-volume packaging projects. However, for smaller jobs like business cards or posters, digital is the more cost-effective option. Digital is also the best choice for jobs that require a high degree of precision, such as fine fonts or intricate designs that cannot be achieved with an offset machine.
Gravure Printing
Gravure is one of the oldest printing processes and was first developed in the Middle Ages with copper plate engravings. The engraved plates had depressions that were filled with ink to create the printed image. The technique was later improved with steel engraving that allowed for finer print results. This type of printing is still used today for banknotes, cosmetic packaging and magazines.
The cylinders in a gravure printing press are typically made from steel or aluminum, and they can be etched using lasers, diamond tools, and/or chemical etching. Prior to etching, a resist is transferred to the surface of the cylinder to protect the non-image areas from the etching process. The engraved cylinder is proofed, tested and reworked where needed, then chrome plated. Once the cylinder is ready, it is submerged in an ink fountain that on rotation fills the recessed cells. A doctor blade is then brought across the surface of the cylinder to wipe away excess ink from the cells before printing the desired pattern onto the printing substrate. Each cylinder requires its own ink fountain for each color of ink to be printed, and the cylinders are wiped clean between runs to prevent cross-contamination.
Because the ink is deposited directly from the cylinder, gravure printing produces high-quality images and offers superior ink laydown. However, the high cost of the cylinders and printing plates makes this a very expensive method of production. For this reason, it is mainly used for long print runs of higher-end products.
A key benefit of gravure printing is its ability to produce high-quality special effects on paper, including lustrous metallic/bronzing and glitter or pearlescent finishes. The high ink film thickness also produces vivid colors and excellent contrast.
The process is a very slow one and can be labor-intensive, but it produces the best possible prints for both text and images. For this reason, it is primarily used for high-end packaging and luxury products. However, it can also be used on non-paper surfaces such as plastic and metal. Another advantage of gravure printing is its consistency, which provides uniformity throughout the entire press run. This makes it ideal for high-volume productions such as catalogues and books.