Digital printing is a printing technique using digital or electronic files from a personal computer or other digital storage device as a source. Digital printing does not rely on a press plate to carry the image and also does not require any setup sheets. Due to lower production costs, digital printing has replaced lithography in a wide range of markets.
Digital printing makes use of a raster image which is sent directly to the printer with help of digital files and graphics software applications. A raster image is also known as a bitmap and is a grid of X & Y coordinates on a display space with details of the coordinates to illuminate. Unlike other printing processes, the toner does not permeate the substrate. The toner actually forms a thin layer on the surface and with the help of a fuser fluid as part of heat process or UV curing process may be used for adhering to the surface. The main advantage is the elimination of the printing plate and thus helps in saving time, effort and money.
There are many benefits associated with digital printing. It can provide faster turnaround times. It has better quality and lower costs than offset printing. It is an excellent option for on-demand printing or for any printing which requires shorter turnaround. As it is non-contact printing, it provides a designer with more options of substrates for printing. Distortion of images does not occur in digital printing, unlike screen printing.
Digital printing is the process of creating prints using designs from a computer as a reference as opposed to analogue printing, which requires screen printing. It was introduced in 1950 for paper printing but the technique was later deployed for textiles as well. It emerged as a prototyping tool and a vehicle for printing small batches of fabric for niche market products, namely apparel, accessories and home textiles. It shortens the lead time from design to production, speeds up sample production and reduces production lot size and inventory costs.
