Litho Printing
Whilst litho printing is largely being replaced by digital printing, there are still circumstances where it can offer some significant advantages. Please see our litho printing 'show case' below.
In a nutshell litho printing uses wet ink and printing plates whilst digital printing uses a xerographic toner process on a press similar in technology terms, but far superior, to a copier. Digital printing is more suitable for shorter runs and litho printing for longer runs, generally over 2,000 copies but cannot 'hit' exact pantone colours. (Well not yet anyway, but we're sure that's coming!). So for corporate stationery that has specific colours (pantones) litho is still the only choice. In addition digital print is still unable to print letterheads or any other material that will pass through a laser printer without the possibility of melting the ink.
Litho printing uses what is called the standard ‘four-colour process’. This means that the artwork is separated onto four different printing plates and each plate prints a specific single colour – cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). Together these colours combine to create a full-colour image. Occasionally additional printing plates might also be added to print special ‘spot’ colours.
Quality considerations - Historically litho printing was regarded as producing the best quality, and whilst that is still the case for many projects, digital print quality is now so good that in most cases it is hard to tell the difference.
However, if specific spot [Pantone] colours are required to a high level of accuracy and consistency then litho printing is probably the best option. Also, litho printing is worth considering if your print job requires large areas of a solid single colour.
Whilst digital print offers significant cost advantages on lower volume print runs, the cost per copy of litho printing will become cheaper than digital on longer printing runs typically over 2,000 copies.
MAKE SURE YOU CLAIM YOUR COPY OF OUR FREE ADVISORY GUIDE:
In addition we have compiled a series of relevant reports to help plan your Litho Printing project :
We have a number of exclusive reports available to help you wth certain elements of Commercial Print
Full Colour CMYK Print Process Explained
How to make the right choice of paper for your printing
A Guide to typical paper weights
Need a quote for Litho Printing? Click here
Can’t Find What You Need? Want to request a Sample Pack? Want to find out more about our quality assurance and eco-friendly printing? Please call us on 0207 636 2571 or contact us to find out more >
