One area of file preparation I need to learn more about is digital and
offset printing. As noted in the lecture, economy of scale comes into play at
around 10,000 printed units, hence I have not had any experience in offset
printing.
Digital Printing is a process whereby electricity and heat are used to
transfer toner (dry ink) onto the media (whether it be paper, fabric, plastic,
etc). Digital printing is advantageous in terms of speed, the fact you are able
to order very small jobs, and you can order an exact quantity of printed
outcomes. In brief, digital printing provides great freedom and flexibility in
short runs which is particularly efficient for the consumer market.
Offset Printing on the other hand, is a process whereby plates are used
to transfer the image/text to the media. This more complex process uses three
cylinders, each with a specific function to transfer the image onto a printing
plate. The image and the non-image (positive and negative) spaces are on
different surface levels, with the use of oil and water, a technique borrowed
from lithography. Offset printing is commonly used for large scale jobs and the
industrial market, for jobs including books, periodicals, packaging and
creative media.
Sources of information/images:
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