Offset printing uses plates and inks to image onto paper. The offset make-ready process often warrants approximately 30 minutes to burn, mount, and register the plates, and to bring the output up to pleasing color. It often takes an hour or more to print a single page. Once up and running however, the economies and speed of offset printing for print runs over 1000 pages typically will be better than digital processes. This is why you typically can not print under 1000 quantities with offset. Digital Printing utilizes a different technique for applying image onto stock. It produces images with toner instead of ink. The time it takes to produce the first page is usually under a minute. Digital technology makes runs shorter than 1000 less expensive as well as quicker to produce than offset printing. Some things to keep in mind regarding Offset printing: - Every printer and every press is not set up exactly the same and likewise no job will print exactly the same between different printers and/or different presses. If you have printed a particular job before with another press then we strongly recommend you order a ColorMatch™ proof before you print. There is an accepted industry standard for color variation amongst presses and printers; however, this variation is minor in scale. Many Printers Can Now Provide you with both options depending on your needs. Some of our recommended businesses include http://www.NitroPrint.com
