After creating a project you'll want to get the best output whether you use your desktop printer or commercial printing services.There are many ways to get it printed and ideally you will have decided on a printing method prior to starting the design project. Discover the range of printing methods and when to use which type of printing process.
Digital / Desktop Printing: Desktop printing is important to desktop publishing. It was primarily the introduction of both the Apple LaserWriter, a PostScript desktop printer, and PageMaker for the Mac that kicked off the desktop publishing revolution.
Inkjet and
laser printers are the most common type of desktop printers and are generally used for personal small volume printing and proofing.
Offset Lithography: Offset lithography is the most commonly used commercial printing process for the bulk of desktop publishing on paper. Offset lithography is used on both sheet-fed and web offset presses. The three primary
differences in offset printing and desktop printing (such as inkjet and laser) are the colors of ink and the way the ink is placed on the paper as well as the type of machinery used to accomplish the task.
Flexography: Frequently used for printing on plastic, foil, acetate film, brown paper, and other materials used in packaging,
flexography is also known as flexographic printing or flexo. Some typical applications for flexography are paper and plastic bags, milk cartons, disposable cups, and candy bar wrappers. Flexographic printing may also be used for envelopes, labels, and newspapers.
Gravure Printing: Gravure printing is commonly used for labels and packaging, competing against flexography.
Photogravure is a process used mostly for fine art prints
Laser / Digital Printers: Speed and lower operation costs make
laser printers attractive to many businesses. Color lasers can be found at service bureaus and printers and are often used to produce high-resolution color digital proofs. Adobe PostScript capabilities found in many laser printers make them popular with graphic designers and desktop publishers who often utilize EPS images and PostScript files.
For quality comparable to a high-end laser printer, the Xerox DocuTech printer offers toner-based digital printing for short runs and print-on-demand projects. There are both B&W and color DocuTech printers.
Other Commercial Printing Processes: Although not widely used today by desktop publishers, the art of
engraving is not lost and can often be found in fine letterhead.
Thermography is often used in place of the more expensive engraving process to produce wedding invitations, business cards, and letterhead with raised printing.
Mostly replaced by offset printing and other processes,
letterpress printing is still used for some newspapers, books, and limited edition prints. Letterpress may also be used for printing business cards, letterhead, posters, and some forms.
Screen or silkscreen printing is popular for t-shirts but works for many other non-textile projects as well such as CDs, vehicle billboards, signs, and posters.
Stochastic printing may be used for some fine art prints.
Digital Ink-based Printing: Some digital ink-based printing processes are used for desktop printers and others are normally used for higher volume business printing or by quick printers, inkjet being the most common.
Dye-sublimation printers use high heat and solid dyes to produce photo lab-quality images and are favored by some graphic designers for high-end proofing and by some businesses who want to produce the best possible color materials in-house.
Currently, inkjet printing is the primary printer technology for home, home offices, and many small businesses. Inkjet printers are inexpensive and produce good color output but can be slow. Best results are normally achieved when printing to specially coated inkjet or photo papers.
Solid ink printers are generally low-cost to operate, not requiring the more expensive inkjet papers to achieve good results. However, solid ink printing output is still not as high-quality as laser or inkjet printers.
Thermal autochrome printers are aimed primarily at digital photographers.
Thermal wax printers produce vibrant color but require very smooth or specially-coated paper or transparencies for best output. Thermal wax printing technology works well for businesses that need to produce large quantities of transparencies for colorful business presentations.
