Offset Printing:
Offset printing technology uses CMYK (full colour) & Pan-tone Spot Colour (PMS). In this process plates usually made of aluminium is used to transfer an image onto a rubber blanket and rolled onto paper the ink gets soaked by the paper. For large quantities like 1000 or 100000 brochures offset printing is the best choice as it provides clean and professional looking printing. Per piece printing cost decreases as the volume of printing increases. A large variety and thickness of paper can be used for printing. Special inks, metallic inks or pan-tone colors can be used for offset printing.
Digital Printing:
Digital printing do not require plates for printing thus the required setup time is less. As dry toner is used for printing, visually it appears brighter and glossier but in gloss coated paper the appearance is not that prominent. Digital printing is more suitable for short runs like 1, 10, 100 or 500 copies also it can print variable data like variable images or address labels.
Conclusion :
Offset and digital are two different printing technology having their own benefits. For large print runs like 1000, 10000, 100000 or 100000000 offset printing is very cost effective. For special inks or metallic inks or pan-tone colors, for variety of paper and its thickness offset printing is suitable. For small print runs or variable data printing or quick turnaround time digital printing is suitable. Visually the printed result from either of these will be slightly different.
