Printing Module 2 : Digital Printing Overview & Examples
Digital printing, what is it?
Sammy
Last Update a year ago
Digital printing is the process of printing digital images on a variety of substrates directly. No printing plate required. Digital documents such as PDF or desktop publishing documents can be sent directly to the digital press for printing on paper, photo paper, canvas, fabric, synthetics, cardstock and other substrates.
The prices of digital printing, at the beginning are cheaper than in the case of traditional printing, achieving a better price for low quantity prints. Additionally, with digital printing you can have greater personalization, also allowing the use of special inks, embossed, metallic, fluorescent, etc.
Digital printing history
The history of digital printing is short compared to printing in general, dating back to 1439, when German businessman Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press that began volume production of books. The first digital printing presses were on the market in the early 1990s.
In 1993, Benny Landa launched the first digital printing press, his E-Print 1000 digital press. This created a great revolution in the world of printing as customers could opt for short-term, personalized and high-quality printing directly from the desktop.
Types of digital printing
Inkjet
Inkjet printing uses a printer created to copy an image from a computer or digital device and reproduce it on paper or plastic. The printer works in a complex way, sending hundreds of small jets of ink on the paper to achieve the desired image. Recommended for printing brightly colored text and images. This category is part of modern digital printing systems.
Laser
Laser printing is created to reproduce an image from a digital device using a laser. As it is being processed, the laser is moved back and forth by means of a table inside the printer. This develops static electricity, which releases ink on the page and prints the desired image. This category is part of modern digital printing systems.
Digital press
This type of digital printing is the digital counterpart of the traditional press and is created to handle high volume orders immediately while offering high quality finishes but is a more expensive printing than inkjet printing.
Some additional types of digital printing include:
Dye sublimation
Dye-sublimation is a process that supports printing on fabric, plastic, and synthetic material. Which is based on transferring heat to apply an image on the predetermined substrate.
Solid ink
Solid ink is a digital printing mechanism used in computer printers and multifunctional devices. The printer cartridges are filled with solid ink sticks and loaded into a solid ink printer. When printing is done, the bars are heated to the melting point with the ink and then passed onto the paper to generate the desired print.
Thermal wax
It is a type of print that uses heat to transfer a print to paper.
UV Digital Printing
It is a new type of printing that consists of using ink on the materials (plastic, wood, metal, ceramic, etc.), with the ability to dry almost immediately using a burst of ultraviolet light through the LEDs of the printing machine. This technique can be used for small volumes without color limits and with high quality.