Posted: December 18, 2018   •   Posted in: Printing London

Top 5 questions about digital printing answered

Your guide to digital printing in London

Ever since the introduction of the first digital colour printing press in 1993, digital print has become a key part of the Kall Kwik offering. Providing the opportunity for low cost, short-run print, the Indigo printer revolutionised the print industry.

Nowadays, digital print accounts for around 18% of all print in the world.

Here we try to answer some of the most common questions about digital printing…

What is digital printing?

Digital print refers to the method of printing whereby digital images are printed directly onto several types of material using toners (or in some cases inkjet machines). Crucially, this negates the need for printing plates, allowing for shorter run print jobs.

Unlike the litho printing process, there are no plates to swap meaning changes can be made quickly on-screen before printing. This also allows each sheet to be personalised, with a different address for example.

How does digital printing work?

Digital files such as JPEGs or PDFs are sent directly to the printer. These files contain information relating to each pixel of the design. This information is then used to control the amount of ink, or powder in the case of toners, that is applied to the page to create your image.

When to use digital print?

Digital print methods are used for short runs that require a quick turnaround. With no plates to set up, and no drying time (in most cases), digital print runs can be completed quickly.

Can digital printers print RGB or pantone colours?

Digital printers use the four colour CMYK colour model. Using different amounts of these colours (cyan, magenta, yellow and black/key) subtracts the amount of white light that is reflected, creating the colours we see. Because RGB adds red, green and blue to create white this will not work with a digital printer. Conversions can be made on a computer, or sometimes on the printer itself.

Because they use the CMYK model, digital printers cannot print exact representations of Pantone colours. In this situation, litho printing would be used instead.

What is digital print on fabric?

Digital printers can print onto a number of substrates, including thick card, papers of all weights, plastics and fabric. Because you can print any colour, digital is an excellent printing choice for T-shirt printing. Especially effective on light garments, digital print is great for short run fabric printing.

Digital printing in St James’s and central London

Kall Kwik St James’s are digital print specialists. If you require short-run printing on a short turn around, please do pop in and see us. We’re located on Pall Mall, directly opposite St James’s Palace.

Digital printing is perfect for everyday printing, such as business stationery, leaflets, flyers and even large format items. For more information about digital printing in London, please contact us on (020) 7930 1976 or email [email protected].