What Digital Printing Press Technology Can Do for You
The versatility of printing and the need for scale remains unchanged despite changing times. More and more of our content resides online and is backed up in the cloud, but there’s still a strong demand that drives innovation in the world of print technology. After all, the desire for a more efficient workflow is universal in the world of business.
Sometimes, new devices can be over complicated which makes them incredibly difficult to troubleshoot. And if you choose to rely on someone else for a big part of your business - like printing - you face a bigger potential for waste. An unexpectedly busy time of year or a mistake at the press can seriously interfere with your plans. Adding a digital device to your process can be the solution you need.
A printer is rarely a one-size-fits-all device, but digital printing offers strong advantages over other alternatives, particularly where efficiency is concerned. There are many features to consider when looking into digital printing as well. They often hinge on whether you’re replacing an old system with a smaller, high-capacity digital system, or thinking of replacing a third-party print contract. Let’s now explore exactly what a digital press printer is and how it can benefit you and your business.
What is digital press printing?
A digital printer is any device that produces prints from a digital image; as opposed to analog printing that uses plates or other physical reproductions. Thanks to the spread of digital home and office printers, this format will be recognizable to virtually everyone who has written a paper for school or created a report for work.
Chances are that you’ve either worked with a digital printing press or that you have one in your home or office right now. These are your familiar, modern desktop printers or larger multipurpose office models that provide reliable prints and perform a variety of other functions. You may simply know it by its more informal name: printer. The size, efficiency, and affordability of consumer digital printers have gone a long way toward making them an item many of us would expect in most homes or offices.
It’s worth remembering that non-digital printing is increasingly reserved for more specialized projects these days. It’s particularly great for large print volumes and unusual formats, offering professionals a high degree of control and fidelity. Most options are too large to store or maintain on your own, making third-party print services necessary in some situations.
We’ll talk more below about the exact whys and hows, but digital printing is constantly improving and it offers several major advantages. If it hasn’t already impacted or improved your routine, there are plenty of ways that it can.
The advantages of digital printing
Digital printing works to make every element of printing more efficient. These types of printers have a much simpler mechanical process compared to alternatives that typically involve more steps and more materials. Those both lead to more waste, less consistency, and reduced efficiency.
Let’s take a look at some of the most significant ways that digital printing can improve your routine. Each advantage represents a gain over the stats or environmental impact compared to other technologies.
1. Much faster turnaround
One of the most important ways that digital printing can improve just about any workflow is a much faster turnaround for all print jobs. A simpler mechanical process is a major player here, because the alternatives generally take substantially more time.
Speed may not be your main priority, and it certainly isn’t always a necessity. But for businesses that churn out a high volume of paper and a variety of print jobs, digital printing delivers a consistent, measurable advantage when it comes to turnaround.
2. Easier to make updates and changes midstream
The ability to easily revise your print jobs is a huge advantage of digital printing and one that’s easy to forget if it’s all that you’ve ever used. Offset printing and most other forms of bespoke printing require a physical reproduction of your job. This means that once you’ve paid your setup costs for a particular job, you’re stuck paying again if you want to revise it midstream.
That may not sound like a big deal, but setup costs are one of the major expenses associated with non-digital forms of printing. You can make changes, just not with the same convenience that digital printing provides. If something goes wrong with your in-house printing process, all you have to do is prepare a revised text or graphic and start printing again.
3. Expect consistency from one print to the next
Greater consistency with every print is another benefit of the simplified process that underpins digital printing. Analog printing relies on ink and other substances to produce prints, which creates variability in how each print is made. Imprecise ink levels or differences in spreading and absorption often create inconsistencies. Since digital prints are produced from a digital image, you can expect consistency from print to print.
4. Much more environmentally friendly
Concerned about reducing your environmental impact? We are too. High-volume print routines can leave a big footprint, with unintended consequences for the environment and your power bills. Fortunately, digital printing is generally more environmentally friendly than alternatives. In particular, it cuts out all of the dangerous chemicals that are involved with other print methods.
With digital printing, you don’t have to deal with waste products in terms of materials. If you have a good supply routine and recycle your cartridges through a service like our HP Planet Partners program, you can make your routine much more green and environmentally friendly.
5. Improved functionality and easier to use
Are you looking to outfit an office with more than just a printing solution? Digital printers are frequently bundled with multifunction (MFP) features that allow you to print, scan, copy, and sometimes even fax from the same device. If your office feels overrun with peripherals and legacy devices, the right MFP can take their place and clear up some extra workspace.
Digital printers are also usually easier to use overall. They may not make sense for some niche industries, but they offer far greater control for you and your business. That’s because they often include more mobile printing and manageability options, which makes handling even major print jobs a breeze. If you don’t want a printer that will demand your constant attention, digital is a great way to go.
Comparing offset vs digital printing
There are many advantages that come with digital printing, particularly if you need a device that can help streamline your routine. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only print solution worth considering. Even today, offset printing is still one of the most common ways for businesses to produce print material of all types.
There are plenty of advantages to using offset printing, which is why it’s still popular for big jobs. You’ll face some substantial startup costs when printing a job offset, but once your materials are ready the per-piece cost decreases as the size of your project grows.
Choosing the best digital printing press for your business
Making the transition to a new print technology or even just a new printer can be challenging. Fortunately, HP® is a one-stop shop for digital printing tech and a whole range of print supplies. Let's now look at the mainline ink and laser printer options that you’ll find in our printer collection.
Huge variety and great prices from HP InkJet printers
The HP InkJet series or printers boasts a highly varied product line featuring a range of multifunction options, as well as support for some oversized prints. For the right routine with a moderate flow of prints, you’ll find tons of great solutions that add functionality and efficiency to your office without sacrificing space or a load of cash at checkout.
If you’re concerned about finding options that can handle your preferred sheet size and keep up with a relatively brisk document flow, the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One printer is a great candidate. You can print, copy, scan, and fax up to tabloid-size paper all from the same device, which is also ENERGY STAR® certified. Plus, it boasts a monthly duty cycle of 30,000 pages, with support for easy mobile printing.
HP LaserJet printers for scale and efficiency
For the best variety and quality of laser printers and accessories, the HP LaserJet line delivers great performance and unparalleled efficiency. If you’re ready to commit to digital printing and want a device with great capacity, start your search here.
HP LaserJets now includes a growing range of compact and affordable options, and you’ll also find tons of great enterprise solutions tailored to the most demanding routines. The HP LaserJet Enterprise 700 Color MFP M775f is a standout digital production printing press. It’s perfect for keeping up with big print volumes and packs all the extra features you could want.
In summary
You know your routine the best, but if the prospect of greater control and efficiency sounds appealing, switching over to a digital printing press may be worth considering. For many offices and small businesses, integrating the right digital multifunction printer can quickly streamline your routine and simplify your workflow. It’s not perfect for every niche, but digital printing is often a great way to save without sacrificing value.
