Commercial Printing

Commercial Printing Report
Offset Lithography
This printing method is the most commonly used commercially. Most printers use offset lithography to use ink more efficiently and reduce the time required for setup. Therefore, businesses are able to utilise more affordable and cost effective printing jobs for colour printing requirements. It is used to create magazines, books, newspapers etc. The process offsets the ink from metal plates to a rubber cylinder and then transfers it onto the paper.
Advantages - Advantages of using offset lithography are that it can save money and resources, by using ink more efficiently, aswell as making businesses more productive by reducing setup time. Therefore, in the long term, offset lithography can make businesses more profitable.
Disadvantages - However disadvantages of offset lithography is that the process is complicated. This means that employees of businesses would require specialist skills to control the process, and ensure that it is successful, otherwise resources could be wasted. Furthermore, the process uses a range of expensive machines, and materials, therefore businesses would incur large start-up costs.
Digital Printing
Digital printing is very effective as it reduces the time to complete the printing process. It does not require films and plates, like offset lithography. Digital printing is typically used for shorter paper based jobs such as reports, newsletters, brochures etc. The process consists of transferring the digital file directly to the printing press via a computer.
Advantages - An advantage of digital printing is that it is a quick process. This means businesses can save time, which also improves efficiency. Also, the process is generally less complicated so the employees of businesses can complete the process more conveniently, compared to a printing process like offset lithography which is more complex.
Disadvantages – A disadvantage of digital printing is that it is reliant on technology...