Getting Technical - Finding The Right Printing Process For Your Business

Getting Technical - Finding The Right Printing Process For Your Business   

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Introduction   

If your business is in the marketing, printing or promotional products industries, chances are you use printing machines or work with another company to produce promotional materials and advertisements. While the printing processes ultimately reach the end goal of a finished product, their methods might differ and some processes are better suited for certain items than others. Finding the right printing process for your business can boost your company's revenue and ensure high-quality products. 

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Types of Printing Process  

The following represent the most popular business printing processes:

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1. Offset printing - This method involves a metal plate transferring an engraved image or words onto a rubber blanket, which is then transferred onto the printed material using cylinders. This process is usually used for marketing brochures, books, magazines and business cards. 
2. Screen printing - This method is ideal for clothing, including t-shirts, jackets and even sweatpants. You would need to set borders first; then transfer ink and images from a mesh screen onto the intended material. 
3. Digital Printing - Anyone with a large inkjet printer and the right software can send digital artwork from the computer to the desired material. This process works well for printing notepads, flyers and personalized marketing and promotional campaigns. 
4. Pad printing - You fill a plate that already has artwork engraved on it with ink. Then use a silicone pad to absorb the ink and design and transfer it to another surface. This method remains useful for round items such as pens, plastic cups, stress balls and small tech items (ie. USB drives). 
5. Sublimation/heating - This process combines ink and a special transfer paper for the design or hi-res image and uses a heating press to transfer the artwork onto another material. It works best on polyester and other synthetic fabrics, so ideal for tote bags, backpacks, baseball caps,and lanyards.  
6. Large format printing - This is the preferred method if you need to produce large items, such as large posters, banners, and even billboard ads. Instead of using single sheets, the designs are printed on rolls of paper.

What To Consider   

When deciding on the best printing process for your company, keep your business operations and your budget in mind. If a business requires mass needs to meet a deadline, digital printing and offset printing offer quick turnaround. Offset printing is the best method if your business wants to produce mass quantities of a product. Digital printing is better for smaller, more personalized projects.  Offset printing provides a wider range of colors and more details in artwork; however, digital printing is the ideal option for printing hi-res images. Businesses on a budget might prefer digital printing as it doesn't have as high as setup costs compared to screen and offset printing. 

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If you would like more information on finding the right printing process for your business, please contact one of our representatives at Brand RPM.

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