Overview
Why you should complete this module
This module provides foundational information about the digital printing industry, Prinergy Digital, and how Prinergy Digital is used in a digital printing environment.
This module is important because it describes:
- Digital printing vs. offset printing
- JDF technology
- Prinergy for digital print foundations
- Prinergy for digital print submission methods
- Supported digital presses
Recommended reading
Digital Print User Guide
What you need to know
What is digital printing?
Digital printing is a direct-to-paper printing process that creates high-quality black and white and full color documents, with a look and feel comparable to conventional offset printing.
Essentially, digital printing uses a digital imaging process that transfers image data directly onto paper, therefore, eliminating the need of traditional offset rollers and plates and the many steps used in the conventional offset printing process.
Advantages of the digital print process:
- Every impression made onto the paper can be different as opposed to making a large number of impressions of the same image from one set of plates.
- Instead of imposing and folding printed signatures to appear in sequential order, digital print software places pages in memory and prints them in the correct sequence.
- Requires less press set up time compared to offset. The process generally requires less waste in terms of chemicals and paper used in setup.
- Is efficient and economical for small print runs.
- Digital presses can be operational more often—jobs can be placed in queues and automatically printed to avoid inactive press time.
- Proofs can be created on the same equipment that the final job is printed on.
- Meets the need for online purchases of printed materials. Printers display their products in a web portal, and print buyers place orders. Files are uploaded to a site and then printed directly to a digital press. The finished product is then shipped directly to the print buyer.
- Meets the needs of Print on Demand. This allows a limited number of copies to be printed as required, compared to large quantities printed as per the requirements of offset printing, and hoping the demand is there.
- Meets the needs of Variable-Data printing (VDP). VDP is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images are changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping the printing process.