The primary difference lies in the age of development as the offset printing is a bit older technique and digital prints are novel and unique. However, when we deal with more significant sized sheets, the offset is our best friend. In offset printing of big packaging boxes, aluminum plates are used, and ink is applied on rubber sheets named as blankets to reproduce images on paper or cardboard sheets; digital printing needs no plates.
Digital printing is different and better from the offset in the manner that it prints pictures on the paper sheets. The diversity is technological and is dependent on the timing of invention. They also differ in the costing, as the customers of packaging industry have to pay more if they need offset printing method. In the technique of offset printing, etched metal or rubber plates to put ink on the cardboard sheets. In offset printing, the machinery used is quite expensive as compared to digital designing. One more difference in the mechanism is that digital printing consists of electrostatic rollers that are named as drums for application of ink. Alternatively, the offset machines have large rollers attached to metal plates and rubber sheets. Heat transmission is quite reliable in digital printing because the laser technology causes the paper to warm up.
In the digital setup, we can print sheets of paper or even booklets with little expenditure because it does not need to be repeatedly operated for changing the prints of designs as in offset print setup. The ink used in offset printing cost lesser than the ink in digital printing but that advantage can only be taken when there are the bulk amount of large sheets required printing. Offset printing is only suitable for the newspaper like printing that means a single image has to copied thousands of times. However, if you need creative work and changes in the design now and then, this calls for digital technology. When each set requires a different design then offset becomes useless.
Smaller sheet sizes are printed in the digital system that ranges to 19 inches per sheet and maximum they can expand twenty-nine inches. While the offset can take up pages that are almost forty inches in size from both dimensions. Therefore, it can be easily said that larger sheets are well printed in offset machines if they are in a greater amount. Books with more solid cover and packaging boxes that are huge cartons need offset instead of digital printing. On this merit of size, offset printing is the winner of the race.
Some colors are not available in offset technology, but digital setups promise to give surprising results in all aspects. Digital designing made from computer and software is difficult to print from offset because they require bright, sharp and diverse color facilities. We have observed that most of the dynamic packaging with sharp images are only acquired through digital technology. The offset is prone to develop blur and dull images.
We can analyze the advantages and definiteness of both systems when we compare the production requirements as the larger sheets, and more extensive amount calls for offset and delicate flashy designs need digital printing. In the same way, a busy industry needs both to cater all kinds of packaging boxes UK needs.
This industry is the game of money and saving production cost. The marketing and production teams have to be on their toes if they want to spend less on the production. They also have to fulfill the demands of their clients. This is the best time to take an adequate decision for the creation of required custom packaging boxes.