Businesses and people rely heavily on various printed items. Luckily, there are various printing methods making selecting one to match the budget and other special requirements a breeze. Each type printing method is best suited for particular needs. Luckily, it is so easy to find various printing companies from an online portal. Check out the options when selecting a printing method.
Image credit: printindustry.com
Offset Lithography
Litho or offset printing is ideal for mass production of items. The printing process involves use of printing aluminium plates each holding an image of the content for printing. Transferring the plates for offsetting onto rollers is done for printing on various paper types. Extending the life of the plate requires limiting them from getting into contact with the print media.
The rollers are made from flexible material to allow the printing method to work on any media including rough surfaces. This printing method is a great choice for production of consistent high quality images for large volume print jobs. It is a versatile choice for printing on any flat surface regardless of material. Some of the items printed through offset printing include canvas, cloth, wood, paper, books, and stationery.
Flexography
A modern version of letterpress printing, flexography is for printing on uneven surfaces. This printing method uses semi-liquid inks that dry faster making it ideal for high volume jobs. Printing requires wrapping flexible photopolymer plates around rotating cylinders on web press. The inked plates contain slightly raised content for printing. Rotating these at high speed transfers the image into the print media.
Flexography is a great choice for long runs, high press speeds, and printing on various media including metallic film, plastic, and cellophane. It is also the printing method of choice when looking forward to get discount printing services for packaging material, labels, and items of continuous patterns.
Digital Printing
This modern printing method includes inkjet printing and laser printing. Digital printing requires sending images directly to the printer with digital files including PDFs. There is no need for printing plates saving money and time. With digital printing, there is quick turnaround time making it ideal for printing on demand.
Digital printing is for all jobs regardless of quantity. However, it is cost effective when requiring high quality print jobs in large orders. This printing method is popular for signage, posters, fliers, business cards, newsletters, menus, labels, and magazines.
Large Format
When requiring printing of huge products, large format is the best choice. This printing method prints print roll width media especially for business advertising materials. It is the go-to method for when looking forward to marketing materials that make a huge impact on customers. Large format printing offers a much bigger work on area compared to methods like digital printing. The method prints on rolls of materials to produce a huge sheet.
This printing method produces the largest print media including banners, billboards, building wraps, and murals that other printing methods can’t handle. Large format media is usually for flat items for hanging on walls but also produces foldable and freestanding media. Some of the products through large format printing include wallpaper, vinyl banners, floor graphics, and posters.
Screen Printing
The printing method requires use of fine mesh for transferring images onto print media. This stretched mesh creates a screen for pressing ink against for printing the image. Screen printing is ideal for printing graphics on clothes, fabric, metal, and paper. Keep in mind that this printing method requires set up.
This makes it ideal for repeat items in large orders and not cost effective for small orders. Screen printing is very cost effecting when looking forward to printing multiple orders of the same content. Some popular products printed through this method include posters, fabric banners, logs, and graphics to clothes.
3D Printing
When looking forward to creating impact in the audience, printing three-dimensional items is the solution. The printing method produces various objects regardless of shape and size. This requires fusing additive compound mixtures to create 3D objects. Introduction of high tech 3D printers allows printing items with movable interior parts. After working out the details on a computer program, printing miniscule layers on top of each using special substance creates eye-catching objects. These include display items, toy figurines, novelty items, and marketing freebies.
LED UV
For extremely high quality prints, and faster turnaround times, LED UV printing is the best choice. This form of digital printing relies on ultraviolet lights for drying ink on print media. UV curing dries up the ink instantly without sinking into the materials. This eliminates need to wait for ink to dry saving time without compromising sharpness and clarity of colors printed.
The best thing about UV printing is the eco-friendliness for using less power compared to other traditional printing methods. This printing method is very versatile and supports various print media. The instant ink drying and production of bright vivid colors, UV printing creates high quality attention grabbing items. These include leaflets, posters, newsletters, brochures, stationery, and various gift items.
Wrapping Up
When having business printing requirements, understanding available print methods is very important. This allows selecting the right printing company to use an appropriate printing method to create attention-grabbing products.
