In this guide
Offset and digital are the two main ways books, magazines and brochures are printed today. Each has clear strengths. Printheal runs both — sheet-fed and web offset presses for volume, and digital presses for short runs — so we can recommend whichever suits your job.
How offset printing works
Offset printing transfers ink from metal plates to a rubber blanket and then onto paper. Each colour needs its own plate, made in prepress on a CTP (computer-to-plate) machine. Once the press is set up it runs extremely fast — our heat-set web presses reach up to 60,000 impressions an hour.
How digital printing works
Digital presses print directly from the file, with no plates and almost no set-up. That makes them ideal for small quantities, quick reprints, proofs and jobs where every copy is different.
Offset vs digital at a glance
| Offset | Digital | |
|---|---|---|
| Best quantity | Medium to very large runs | Short runs and one-offs |
| Set-up cost | Higher (plates, make-ready) | Very low |
| Cost per copy | Falls sharply as quantity rises | Stays roughly the same |
| Colour | Excellent; spot colours possible | Very good CMYK |
| Paper choice | Widest range of papers and weights | More limited |
| Turnaround | Fast once on press | Fastest for small jobs |
The cross-over point
Because offset has a fixed set-up cost and digital does not, there is a quantity at which offset becomes the cheaper option. For most books and magazines that point is somewhere in the hundreds of copies — the exact number depends on page count, size and colours. Above it, offset gets cheaper per copy with every extra book; below it, digital usually wins.
[ Printheal to confirm the typical cross-over quantity for a standard A5 book. ]
Which should you choose?
Choose offset if…
- you need about 500 copies or more
- you want the lowest price per copy
- you need special paper, spot colours or large sizes
- you are printing textbooks, magazines or catalogues in volume
Choose digital if…
- you need a few hundred copies or fewer
- you need proofs or advance copies quickly
- you are reprinting a small batch
- each copy carries different content
Seasonal
Publishing
Pricing
Binding