July 4, 2008, Newsletter Issue #124: The Best Methods of Commercial Printing

Tip of the Week

There are several types of commercial printing available to businesses. Some are better than others, but in the end it is a matter of need. To determine the best method of commercial printing for your specific needs, it is best to know about them all. There are five main types of commercial printing, and here are their short definitions.

• Flexography – A relief printing process, flexography involves printing specifically with rubber and uses a direct image transfer. Flexography is good for long printing runs which, combined with its lower costs, makes it a good choice for commercial printing.
• Gravure (Intaglio) – Instead of rubber, Intaglio printing utilizes copper or chrome plates. This is most commonly used for newspaper and other extremely long-run printing. Costs are very high for this type of commercial printing and it should only be chosen for those needing very large quantities of a single print.
• Screen Printing – Most commonly used for clothing, banners, and other fabric printing, screen printing is a method where ink is passed through a nylon or polyester film. The ink bleeds through into a pre-set design. Screens can wear, so this type of printing is not recommended for projects requiring a gross amount of prints.
• Lithography – Most children learn about lithographs in school art class. Lithography is also low-cost option for commercial printing. Either paper, aluminum, or polyester is used in this process and it can be used for short or long runs, depending on the content of the print.
• Digital – The most cost-effective commercial printing solution available today. Recent digital printing advances make for fast, clear printing that does not require high costs or heavy machinery. Digital printing is best for color jobs, but not recommended for very long printing runs.

Now that you know more about the different processes available in commercial printing, I hope you will be better equipped to choose which type is right for your business.

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