Using Digital and Litho Printing Techniques Depends on the Type of Print Job

Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers

Digital printing is becoming increasingly popular and increasing numbers of printing companies are specialising in this form of printing, however, for some types of print work litho is still recommended and there are good reasons for this.

Deciding which of the two to choose is not only a question of pricing. It is also about what material is being printed, in what kind of quantity and how quickly the finished job is needed.

To take the cost of a print job first. There is no saving to be made for digital printing, which is costed per page, and this means that there is no advantage to be gained by ordering a larger print run. The reason for this is that digital machines actually keep a running total of the numbers of pages printed and at a certain point the printer will require substantial maintenance.

Printers using digital machines normally have a contract with the supplier that includes supplies of ink and replacement of various components as well as maintenance and these costs will inevitably form part of the quote for a customer ordering a print job.

The big advantages of digital printing are the speed with which a job can be finished and delivered and the option for customising or personalising the print without having to stop the printing press.

For example this would be particularly useful for marketing materials where the client wants the material "personalised" by including each customer's name and address in a mail-out. There are even some printers who specialise in printing books in which a character's name is "personalised" to the individual who will be reading it.

Another big advantage of digital print is the ability to print on demand. This can be useful for book publication, where previously the number to be printed had to be determined in advance with the risk that those that remained unsold if it did not prove as popular as predicted would have to be withdrawn and pulped.

Currently, however, digital printers cannot print in spot colour - where one colour only is required along with black - because their ink cartridges are designed for full colour only. A job requiring spot colour would have to be printed using a litho printer.

On the other hand, offsett litho printing offers a very high image quality and can be used on a wide range of surfaces including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper and plastic. Also the unit cost reduces as the quantity increases.

If a book is being produced that includes a high number of images and the colour reproduction needs to be high quality, for example for an art catalogue, then litho would be a better option to choose.

For anyone preparing a project for printing the considerations therefore will include the quantity that will be wanted, whether any special quality or colour of paper is needed, whether the job is in full or spot colour, the quality needed for any images included and finally how quickly the finished work is wanted.


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Choosing litho or digital printing for a project depends not only on cost but also on the colour, quality, quantity and speed of delivery that are needed. By Ali Withers for Firstcopy, suppliers of copiers and printers, including wideangle printers, in East Anglia including Huntingdon, Norwich, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds.