Advantages of Digital Printing

Including the difference between signwriting, screen printing, and digital printing.  

Signwriting

Many large signs were painstakingly created by hand using paint and a brush (hence the title sign-writers).

When you see these old signs there is little doubt they were produced by extremely talented individuals. However, the process to create these masterpieces was painstakingly slow and labor-intensive.

They could take days to produce. This all depended on the size of the sign and how many people were working on it. There is still a very small demand for these traditional sign-writers, but it is a very niche market.

Screen Printing

Likewise, screen printing uses manual and craft-based skills. Screen printing requires a screen mesh (ink stencil) for each of the colours that are to be printed. Each colour has to be lined-up (registered) to ensure that all the colours line up with each other.

Each color must be applied individually.  Once again, this process requires a skilled operator to create the screens (a process in itself). It is labor-intensive and this makes it uneconomical for a small run of prints.

Digital Printing

With the advent of digital printing, however, there are a number of advantages.

1. The speed at which the digital prints can be produced. If we don’t take into account the time to design the print files, prints can be ready to be delivered within hours rather than days. And like cars, printers are getting faster.
2. The quality and colours that digital printers are able to reproduce. High-resolution images are possible meaning the digital prints appear clearer and more vibrant to the intended audience. Even the reproduction of photographic quality images is possible.
3. Reproduction of photographic quality images is possible. The same image can be reproduced time and time again. This ensures consistency and repeatability – not only of the image but the colours (especially important if a particular colour is central to your brand).
4. It is a lot more cost-effective for short print runs. 

Although there will always be a place for the traditional sign-writers and screen printers, digital printing is now the premium choice of producing print in the most cost-effective and timely manner.

Boing Boing Stickers are digital print specialists. To ensure they’re part of your marketing conversations, contact them today for a personalized quote.

Get your digital printing underway and have your prints returned, faster than you can set up a stencil!