The Future of Lithographic Printing

What the Future Holds for Lithographic Printing

Litho, offset, lithography, plate… this kind of printing falls under the category for all these names. You have probably heard that this style of print is too expensive, out of date, or inferior to digital print. That is where you have heard wrong. Lithographic printing is the best process for anything that requires sharp, vibrant printing in high quantities… whether that be high quality brochures, catalogs, handbooks, magazines, or promotional posters.

What is Lithographic Printing?

Lithographic printing is where an image of the content you want to produce is placed on a plate which is then covered in ink and used for printing. This process can be used on paper, cardboard, and many other materials. The material that is receiving said print is placed against the plate and the inks are absorbed accordingly. This process takes a large amount of skill to make sure the inks are mixed correctly and placed in the correct order. While it does take longer to set up than a digital printer, it is much faster to perform high quantities of high quality repeat items.

What Is Lithographic Printing Used For?

As mentioned before, lithographic printing is used best while creating projects like: high quality brochures, catalogs, handbooks, magazines, promotional posters, and anything that requires sharp, vibrant printing in high quantities. It would also be important to point out that lithographic printing is not quite as fast as a quick digital job for a small order, because of the setup involved. If you are in need of just a handful of meeting minute documents, anyone in the industry would suggest a digital print method to be used. But if you need the high quality finish and precise color combinations, lithographic printing can be turned around very quickly.

Why Is Lithographic Printing Still Relevant?

In today’s age, digital printers and digital media have taken the world by storm. These new methods pose a huge threat to lithographic printing because digital allows for a quicker setup and less manual input. This means the cost can be lower for fast, low quantity jobs. Lithographic printing is still relevant however, when it comes to large quantity printing. Lithographic printing can accommodate heavier weights of paper and in turn is more cost effective when printing in larger quantities.

Written by Omega High Impact Print Solutions’ Digital Marketing Intern, Ryan Lombardi