Litho Prints
Litho Prints
Digital Printing Versus Litho Printing
Why Choose Digital? Well put simply digital printing has changed the face of print advertising. Not only has the digital age made print more affordable to everyone but, in this fast paced world we live in where time is everything, that all important question of turnaround has been addressed by the advent of digital printing and has been the saving grace of many a hard pressed over stressed printer.
Not so long ago, this was not the case. Professional printing was largely produced by offset litho printing, which, is not only expensive and for the most part out of reach for the general public who simply want to get some invitations printed for their special occasion or some memorial cards. The biggest cost implication for any printer using only offset litho printing is the time it takes to produce the simplest of invitations or a few hundred business cards or flylers. In order to print using an offset printing press the printer must first create the file, place the print on a plate, expose the plate to light using a print down frame and then develop the plate using a special solution. The image is then transferred to a rubber blanket and is finally printed on the your chosen media. This is a time-consuming and messy affair and if you change the content / text or graphics then the plate has to be made all over again which adds extra cost.
But thanks to modern advancements and technology this arduous procedure is no longer necessary for 80% or print media. More than ever before, businesses now opt for high speed fast turnaround and cost effective digital printing, with the added benefit of personalised variable data digital printing. Variable data is an ideal tool for use on a few hundred promotional brochures or promo cards to new potential customers which will make a lasting impression and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing and promotion campaigns.
So, what are you waiting for, if your still plodding along with only your litho press and print down frame for company, then get smart! get digital! get efficient.
Check out my next article where I discuss how colour is produced using Digital Printing versus Litho Printing. We will also take a look the crucial differences between CMYK and Pantone Referenced colours.
Author: Margi Furlong
About the Author
Margi Furlong the author, is director of Creative Design and Print with over 14 years experience in the print industry. We provide each of our customers with a first class service and full commitment to every project, big or small. Our design solutions not only look good, but also communicate your ideas directly to your target market in a manner that is clear, concise and captivating. At Creative Design and Print, we make it our business to understand yours.
So, to get your marketing underway contact us today, whatever your project and budget we can find your the perfect marketing solution. http://www.creativedesignandprint.ie/
What is a litho print?
I’m a lithographer myself, working on both the traditional limestone and the aluminum plates. There aren’t many of us around, though.
Lithography is a 200 year old process, traditionally done on limestone and based on the principle that oil and water repel each other. The stone is first ground and grained using sand, water, and another stone; one on top of another. A drawing is made with oily ink or crayon, powdered with resin, and fixed with a weak solution of acid. The press used is of the type that were specifically created for lithography. Many of these presses were made around the 1830s through the 1880s, the heyday of this printing process.
Nothing much has changed for the stone process, though several branches of printing have resulted from it, including the replacement of the stone with aluminum plates; and photolithography, once used for printing pictures for newspapers and books. Though no longer much used, and not the easiest form of printmaking, it still resides in the few who want to keep the art form alive. Those who do the stone process tend to be very traditional in approach, often even maintaining and operating the old presses.
Stephan Bonnar with Chuck Liddell signing lithograph prints – NGAUGE Inc