Laser, or digital, printers have greatly reduced printing times in the past few years.
There are many different printing methods today, each with their own pros and cons. For personal printing, ink-jet and laser printing are the preferred methods. For commercial printing, offset and digital printing are the preferred methods.
Laser of Digital Printing
Digital printing refers specifically to the use of a laser to etch an image onto a paper, covered with a film of toner during the printing process. The term digital printing is used more often in conjunction with commercial printing, while laser printing is used in reference to personal printers.
Offset Printing
Whereas digital printers use lasers, offset printing refers to the use of inked plates to transfer an image. Offset printing is slower but higher in quality than digital printing. However, the cost of creating plates means that it is only used for high volume printing.
Ink-jet printing
Ink-jet printers also use ink, but spray it directly onto a paper rather than use a plate. Ink-jet printers are cheaper but slower, and ink cartridges have to be replaced frequently in comparison to laser printers which do not need to be maintained as frequently but are far bigger and more expensive.
Tags: digital printing, commercial printing, digital printers, Ink-jet printers, Laser Digital, laser printing
