Best color printing process: how to choose?

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Choosing the right color printing process and machine is important for businesses and consumers. Ease of use, vibrancy of color, and monthly print quantity should be considered. Thermal imaging may be important for business cards. Different processes have different levels of vibrancy and cost. Thermographic printing raises ink from the paper but increases cost and size.

The color printing process is important for many reasons, both for businesses and consumers, and choosing the right process and machine will help users get color printing done without excessive work or expense. Some color presses are much more difficult to use than others, so ease of use should be considered. Depending on the color printing process users select, the vibrancy of the color may differ. Users should think about how many prints they need per month, because some processes are better suited for a large number of prints, while others are better for occasional printing. Thermal imaging can also be important, especially for business card printing users.

Color printing isn’t always easy. For example, while an inkjet press can print color at the touch of a button, a color offset printer requires mixing inks, making plates, placing plates on cylinders, and testing prints several times before the machine is ready. This means that the user’s knowledge of printing must be considered when selecting a color print job. If the user cannot operate the machine but needs that particular type due to the frequency of printing required or the vibrancy of the colour, more experienced people may need to be hired to operate the machine.

Vibrance, or how bright the color is, will usually differ between various color printing processes. Offset printers often print very vibrant colors, while inkjet and laser printers usually fall just short, and the color engraving process usually creates the most vibrant prints. While a high level of liveliness may be required for some commercial entities, this normally increases the price and difficulty of the process, so the user should consider how much liveliness really matters when selecting a process.

Another consideration is the number of prints the color printing process must produce each month. For example, an inkjet printer is normally made for small to medium print quantities, and printing beyond this limit can quickly cause parts of the inkjet printer to wear out. A higher monthly amount also makes the process more expensive to use.

The color printing process normally only produces flat prints; the ink may feel slightly raised at times, but not by much. Some commercial entities and some regular consumers may require thermographic printing for business cards and similar materials. By using heat and polymers, the colored ink rises dramatically from the paper. If this feature isn’t needed, the user shouldn’t look for it because other than increasing the price, it usually makes the printer bigger.




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