How do I Choose? Digital vs. Offset Printing

You have worked tirelessly to write your book, making edits and proofing. It is time to take the project to the next level: book printing. If you are entering the world of self-publishing a book, taking on the risks, challenges, and rewards of creating your very own book, the next step is where your efforts come to fruition. An important part of the process of bringing your book to market is distinguishing between two printing options: offset printing and digital printing.

Offset Printing

Offset printing works by processing the image onto a plate, then imaging it to a rubber blanket and onto the printing substrate (paper). You ask, “why should I choose this”? You can choose from a wide array of paper choices, utilizes real ink, and unit prices end up lower once you reach a threshold of thousands of copies. The downside is that offset printing has more cost upfront to prepare the press for printing, so for short offset print runs, the cost per unit is often higher than digital printing.

Digital Printing

Digital printing is the most popular method for short-run print on demand book publishing. It works by transferring data in PDF form from a computer file to a large production toner or ink-jet device. Digital printing has many advantages for the self-publisher and is the logical choice for modern projects, including perfect bound books, and other products such as marketing collateral. Many experts in the industry will tell you, the trend is towards digital printing. The setup costs associated with digital printing provide lower per unit costs for small & large print runs, it offers a consistent product, and quality is even comparable or better than offset. Making “on the fly” changes or edits during the process is simple and efficient with PDF workflow compared to offset having to process more plates, extra setups and more time on press adding additional cost that will affect your bottom line.

Printing Capabilities

At Hill Print Solutions, our digital web book presses bring the high-volume speed of offset printing to the ease and affordability of the digital printing world, which can image from 750 to 1,500 pages a minute. On the color side, we have the latest and technology in our state-of-the-art Canon imagePRESS C8000VP digital production color press. This device delivers exceptional print quality at 2400 dpi (dots per inch). Our customers are extremely happy with the beauty of their book covers.

Digital printing ensures that the physical proof you receive in your hands is the exact book that you and your readers will open and enjoy. Print as many copies as the market demands and re-orders are simple and easy for maintaining inventory. For many reasons, digital printing is the wave of the future, and the optimum path for self-published authors around the world.

Hill Print Solutions is on standby to assist with your next book project, contact us with any questions, or get an instant online quote to get the process started right away!!!