Digital Printing

Digital printing is a method of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small-run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large-format and/or high-volume laser or inkjet printers

Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods, but this price is usually offset by avoiding the cost of all the technical steps required to make printing plates. It also allows for on-demand printing, a short turnaround time, and even a modification of the image (variable data) used for each impression.

This results in quicker turnaround time and lower cost in digital printing, but typically a loss of detail in most commercial digital printing processes. The most popular methods include inkjet and laser printers, which deposit pigment and toner, respectively, onto substrates, such as paper, canvas, glass, metal, and marble.

Notable digital laser exposure

Digital images are exposed onto true, light-sensitive photographic paper with lasers and processed in photographic developers and fixers. These prints are true photographs and have continuous tone in the image detail.

Digital cylinder printing

Digital cylinder printing is when a machine directly lays ink onto a curved surface usually the wall of an object that has a circular cross-section, and a constant, tapered, or variable diameter. Digital cylinder printing is a method of reproducing black-and-white or full-color images and text onto cylindrical objects, typically promotional products, through the use of digital imaging systems. The digital process is by definition faster than conventional screen printing because it requires fewer production steps and less set-up time for multiple colors and more complex jobs. This in turn enables reduced run lengths. The ability of digital cylinder printing machines to print full color in one pass, including primers, varnishes, and specialty inks, enables multiple design techniques, which include: Mirror prints: viewable on the inside and outside of glass or plastic Tone on tone: solid matte-finished substrate enhanced with one ink or clear coat Stained glass: color opaque enough to see through Contouring Etched