020 3633 2660 



Digital vs. Lithographic Printing

Advantages of each and how to decide which is right for your business…

 Sale Print FX offers two main types of print

  • Digital
  • Lithographic (commonly referred to as offset)

Below you will find an explanation of theses two different types of print we offer and which type  will be most suited for your print requirements:

 Digital Printing

The rapid growth of digital printing technology has brought technical advancements, more options, and exciting new features to modern commercial printing companies. It’s also brought quite a bit confusion regarding print services for those who aren’t aware what type is best for their requirements. A simple understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of digital print and how it compares to traditional offset lithography is critical in making the right choice and saving your money.

 Advantages of Digital Printing

While today’s digital presses are close to the cost/benefit ratio of offset for high quality work, they are not yet able to compete with the volume an offset press can produce. Digital printing is ideal for short runs of business cards, leaflets, menus and posters of upto 1000 units. This process is cost effective and is usually available with same day printing in London.

Lithographic Printing

Lithography (aka Offset lithography) is the most common high volume commercial print technology. In lithographic printing, the desired print image is burned onto a plate and is then transferred (or offset) from the plate to a rubber blanket, and then to the printing surface. The lithographic process is based on the repulsion of oil and water. The image to be printed gets ink from ink rollers, while the non printing area attracts a film of water, keeping the non printing areas ink-free.

 Modern Offset Printing (Using Computer-to-Plate Technology)

 Computer-to-plate (CTP) is a common and very useful process for modern printing in London. Using desktop publishing applications, an image is created and output on print plates. CTP provides quality-produced prints with accuracy from getting the desired colour from the CMYK-generated computer screens. 

The Plates used in offset printers are faster and more affordable to produce, making CTP an ideal production process for bulk print requirements and hence why Sale Print FX offer this type of print for cheap printing in London. It also helps in producing high-quality products through precise print registration and image-to-edge repeatability.

Advantages of Lithography

One of the main advantages of offset print is the high image quality. This form of print works well on a wide range of printing surfaces including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper and plastic.

The unit cost for lithography goes down as the quantity goes up, making lithography is perfect for quality and cost-effectiveness in high volume printing in London.

Are you wondering why there is different types of print?? Follow here to read about Digital V Lithographic print…