Offset Printing Services

Today’s marketers need options. That’s why Qualprint offers both offset printing services and digital printing options. The choice of these two print technologies allows marketers to choose the option that best suits the needs of their job and budget.

Decades ago, offset printing was the only choice for anyone looking for a high-quality, color printed piece. But digital printing technology has made tremendous advances, making it the right choice for many situations. Still there are some important differences that usually make one a better choice than the other for any specific job. And, of course, we’re always here to help our customers choose the best solution for their needs.

On this page we’ll cover offset printing – what it is, when to use it and Qualprint’s specific offset capabilities.

What is Offset Printing?

Offset printing is also called lithography. It requires a sizable printing press (we’ve got two). The offset printing process involves the transfer of your design (images and copy) from one material to another. Images are first digitally transferred to a series of plates – usually one for each color needed for the job as well as any ancillary applications like spot varnish. These plates are treated so areas where images and copy are to appear attract ink – and areas that shouldn’t, repel it.

Next, the plates transfer ink onto a rubber blanket that then transfers the images to paper or whatever material is being used for the job. Once the printing process starts, paper or other substrates are printed with each color one by one until the image is recreated in totality. This three-step process – ink to plate, plate to blanket, blanket to printed material – gives the process its name – offset.

To finish the job, the printed material is cut, bound or folded as needed to create the final pieces. Special finishing options can also be added at this point such as embossing, die-cutting and foil stamping.

Sheet-Fed vs. Web Offset Printing

A sheet-fed offset press uses individual, pre-cut sheets of paper which are fed into the press one at a time – although at high speed – thousands or tens of thousands an hour. A web offset printing press (nothing to do with the internet) is for really big jobs. A web offset press is fed by a big roll of paper continuously until the job is done. It’s the kind of press you see in newspaper printing montages in the movies.

When to Use Offset Color Printing

This depends in part on the nature of the job. But here are the most important considerations when considering offset color printing.

• Quality: Offset is still typically your best bet for color matching, resolution and overall quality – our computer-to-plate system delivers incredible accuracy and remarkable quality
• Quantity: If you are printing over 500 pieces, offset is usually your most cost effective option
• Size: Offset presses can create larger size pieces and use larger sheets of paper than most digital presses
• Speed: Although setting up an offset print run takes more time and labor than a digital job, for larger runs offset is far faster in the end

One thing offset is not good for is personalizing individual pieces. With offset, you set the job up and let it run. If you need to make variations from piece to piece – names, images or other data – digital printing is the way to go.

Our Custom Offset Printing Capabilities

One of our strategies for delivering superior value is to carefully research printing and finishing technologies and then to bring only the world’s best into our operations. That’s exactly what we’ve done with offset. We own two state-of-the-art high speed Komori printing presses – one six color and one eight color that produce brilliant, full-color print jobs. Both presses are capable of printing CMYK color plus Corporate Pantone colors, and have coating systems for adding additional UV and Spot Aqueous varnishes, as well as soft-touch and other tactile finishes. All in one run. And both can use LED/UV soy-based inks for environmentally-friendly instant curing to get your job out the door faster and more sustainably.

On top of that, all our equipment is run by some of the print industry’s most talented craftspeople with decades of experience and knowledge.

If you’d like to know more about our custom offset printing capabilities, just let us know.