Digital printing has been growing steadily in popularity. In 2017 digital printing accounted for 16.2% of the global print market value (1). As a result, some believe digital printing is the best option. This isn’t always the case.
Evans Graphics is one of the UK's leading digital print companies. We believe the best outcome is realised thr experience and knowledge, which will help you decide on which print method to use.
Digital printing uses high resolution, digital based files to produce an image or graphic onto the chosen printed material. This makes digital fast, flexible and accurate. This however doesn’t make it the perfect print method in all instances.
Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of digital printing. Hopefully with this knowledge you'll be able to decide on the best way forward.
Advantages:
Speed
In today's modern world, deadlines are a fact of life. In the world of printing there are three; Content, design and print Turning this around in time can be a challenge and so the speed at which your printer can deliver is crucial.
Compared to other methods of print like the screen printing process, digital printing offers a fast turnaround due to easy set up.
At Evans Graphics our lead-times are of course subject to current workloads and the type of project that is in question. That said, 24 hours is our average for small-run, digital printed items!
Quality
The most important aspect of any print process is quality. Digital printing guarantees a high standard, complete with full colour and gradation. Digital is often the preferred choice because of its perfect registration of colours. It's the only method that provides this.
As a result, colours appear vibrant and clear, opening up all manner of design possibilities.
Better still, it’s easy to apply glossy finishes or embossed effects, enhancing the design further.
Cost
Digital printing is a cost-effective option due to the lack of setup required. There is no need for printing plates or colour matching. This means everything happens in one process. As a result, the price of digital printing projects is typically far cheaper than the screen printing equivalent.
Better For The Environment
Digital printing is better for the environment in that it uses less ink, a stark contrast to traditional methods. This results in less waste and a quicker clean-up operation.
Elsewhere digital printers produce less in the way of CO2 emissions. Some professional printers even choose to USE polymer-based inks, which come without hazardous air pollutants (HAPS). These consume less energy and emit fewer greenhouses gases compared to solvent-based inks or the UV-curable variety.
Finally, the ability to print short-runs allows customers to ‘try before they buy’ so savings can be made on packaging for bulk orders that don’t come out as planned.
Greater Choice
One clear advantage of digital printing is the fact substrates don’t have to be held in place quite so firmly. Consequently, greater customisation can be createdin the form of different materials.
Digital flat bed printers can print onto materials up to 50mm thick, something other print processes simply can't manage. In short, you can print onto just about any material from posters to outdoor signage.
You Can Print in Lower Quantities
If you're looking to print in lower quantities, digital printing can be very cost effective and offers the equivalent of a ‘print on demand’ service, which is ideal if you are looking to print just a few posters, display boards or pull up banners.
As a result of the minimal set up process, there is rarely a minimum number of units required by printers and often, you won’t be charged extra if you only want a couple of prints, or a short print run.
For a complete guide on preparing your design for digital printing, click here.
Improvements
Best of all? Digital printing is ever evolving. The technology has greatly improved from its emergence in the early 1990s. Another 30 years from now, who knows?
More Accurate Proofing
Getting to see an example of your design before committing to printing hundreds of units is crucial and can make the difference between having a perfect design and making a simple mistake which spoils everything.
One of the positivesof digital printing is that you get a perfect, accurate proofing before committing to print. The proof, often be presented as a PDF, offers an opportunity to see the final design to review any changes in design, or errors in judgement.
Still unsure on digital printing?' Click here.
Disadvantages:
Limited Colour Matching Capability
Despite improvements in digital printing it can still be difficult to match Pantone colours exactly. This is due to the difference in inks, rasterisation techniques and toners with each printing machine.
While quality prints are achievable, digital printing cannot replicate metallic and fluorescent colours within a design. This is far from ideal if you are looking to achieve something slightly more eye catching. If you are looking to print a design with fluorescent or metallic colours, screen printing would be more suitable as it gives greater flexibility in terms of full colour options.
Material Options
Today with the huge improvements in ink and material technology it is possible to print successfully onto a host of materials ranging from woods, plastics, glass and PVC. There are of course some materials such as polyesters and polycarbonate where screen print wins hands down. Custom clothing for example works brilliantly.
Durability
Digital printing offers a good standard of durability particularly when using UV curable inks. We're not saying that ink fade will never happen if the correct materials for the project are used. As a rule for externally exposed print you'll get around three to four years of life.
We’ve Got You Covered
Evans Graphics has extensive experience providing digital print solutions and will work with you to meet your individual digital printing requirements whether it be for exhibition graphics, display boards, window displays or signage.
For more information you can always view our Digital Printing FAQs page.
Want to start a digital printing project? Request A Quote or Contact Us.
(1) https://www.inkworldmagazine.com/issues/2017-05-01/view_experts-opinion/digital-printing-to-continue-to-take-market-share-from-offset-presses/39717
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand is a service that allows you to customize white-label products, with your own designs, to sell them on a per-order basis.
It is an alternative way to save time and investment as well as avoid the tedious process of inventory management. So you can channel your creativity and simply sell your custom products at a fraction of the cost.
If you want to know about how print on demand works, how to set it up, etc click here.
There are essential pointers that one needs to evaluate before signing up for a print on demand service. In this article, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of Print on demand, for designers looking to set up their own store on POD services.
Pros of POD:
1. It’s easy to set up
The majority of POD platforms are incredibly easy to use. It is mostly a simple process of signing up, creating a profile, and uploading your designs or products. This can be done in minutes.
While some of the sites offer a free setup, some charge a registration fee. On the other hand, sites like Merch by Amazon need you to get accepted into the POD program to begin selling your products.
2. Minimal inventory, no packaging or shipping trouble
One of the biggest pros of print on demand service is that the model gets rid of the biggest downside of inventory-based troubles such as stock costs, expenses, etc. It also eliminates the possibility of getting stuck with extra merchandise that you’re unable to sell or stock-outs because the merchandise goes into production after an order is placed.
3. Allows you to focus on what you’re good at
Since most of the technical, logistics and production bits are handled for you by the print-on-demand service, you can have the freedom to focus on what you’re good at and spend your time producing more designs, and products that you want to sell.
4. It’s easy to establish your brand
Print-on-demand services are white-labeled, which means you can customize your products and packaging with your branding so that when your customers receive their orders, there’s no sign of the third party service.
5. No machinery needed. No excess or less stock
The fact that a third party handles the production for your designs, eliminates the need to have your own machinery needed to print your own stock. The technical part of the printing process is handled directly by your POD partner.
Cons of POD
1. Lower profit margins.
The cost of goods for an on-demand printing service will be higher as compared to buying wholesale. This means that your profit margins will be lower.
Because the print on demand companies handle the whole of the shipping, packaging, and selling, they are going to take a larger percentage of the profit, and pay you a commission for the product being sold.
Artists can either be paid through a percentage on each sale, that is through royalties, or markup from the bottom line cost of the product, where the artist can choose to finalize the retail price. Hence, depending on the product, the profit margin can be quite low.
2. Limited Data
While these print on demand companies handle the selling for you, they are following the market carefully and capturing buyer information, so they can market to them again and hopefully make more sales.
Because you’re selling on their site, you won’t ever get to know who loved your work and bought it. You won’t get their information so you can make more sales unless they somehow reach out to you.
You might also miss the chance to stage your brand. Odds are, big POD companies package and ship products with their logo attached to them, not yours.
So while it may be helpful to you that they are facilitating the sale and delivery of the products, it is important to know the limitations of the service as well.
3. Quality and product types
While you create your art, your designs, and your products, make sure the print on demand service you are investing in holds quality as a priority. Some print on demand companies care about the bottom line and in the process, the quality is lost. This can reflect badly on your art business and affect your sales.
Do your research to see which companies have the highest quality printing. Check into the quality of their website and customer service department, too.
On the other hand, if you’re a seller looking for extremely customized and specific products to sell, some print on demand companies might not have the option for you. Mainstream apparel or merchandise like T-shirts etc won’t be an issue since they are common products.
However, if you wish to sell, for example, products only of a specific fabric, then you might find it difficult to sell through a print on demand service.
4. You depend on your printing partner for products and their availability.
POD companies work with different suppliers to source products or product materials, for example, fabric. This means there are a lot of moving parts, and sometimes products may go out of stock or become unavailable.
5. Order fulfillment takes longer.
Since every product is printed on-demand, it takes longer to fulfill orders than it would if you already had your products available in stock. While this may not be a con for the designer, it may be a con for the customer ordering your product.
Having said this…
… it is important to understand that there are challenges with the convenience that print on demand services offer. However, a deeper understanding and evaluation of the crucial elements of the POD company such as the quality of the product, the delivery time, your profit percentage of the sale, etc, can help you make the right decision for your artwork business.
So whether you decide to go ahead with a Print on Demand service or just sell your custom designed merchandise on your own e-commerce website or store, Design Shifu can create your designs for you. Design Shifu is an on-demand graphic design agency that designs merchandise and much more with a 24 to 48 hour turnaround time, for a flat monthly fee! Check out our portfolio and our pricing page.