Which Printing Process is Best?

Each printing process has its advantages. The choice of which one to use depends on many factors, including the type of artwork, number of prints to be produced, location where the prints will be used and time constraints.

We can advise after examining your artwork and discussing your requirements. Part of our expertise is knowing what to use and when.

	Screen Printing	Digital	Offset
Durability	By far the most durable. Silkscreen is the preferred printing method for fleet markings, outdoor displays, or other graphics exposed to harsh elements.	More durable than offset printing, not as durable or weather/chemical resistant as screen printing. With UV coatings, can be weatherable for up to one year.	Not as good for outdoor or long-term applications.
Price	For long runs the price is relatively low. Set-up can mean short runs are more expensive.	Short runs are less expensive. Less efficient for longer runs. May also be more expensive than offset or screen printing if only one or two colors are required.	For long runs the price is relatively low. Set-up can mean short runs are more expensive.
Color-Matching	Better spot color reproduction with no pixelation. If you need a specific color match or PMS color, you can mix an exact color of ink to match almost any spot color required.	Many PMS spot colors and corporate colors cannot be exactly matched due to limited color spectrum of CMYK ink	Good color matching
Turnaround	Relatively long set-up time, but efficient printing of long runs.	Less set up time means short runs can be printed more quickly. Longer runs are less efficient.	Relatively long set-up time, but efficient printing of long runs.
Substrates	Screen printing is more flexible when it comes to what you can print on. No other printing process can print successfully on as many different substrates as screen printing	Can be printed on paper and fabric, but may require pretreatment for some surfaces.	Works on a wide range of printing surfaces including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper and plastic
Inks	Screen printing can use many specialty inks not available for digital or offset printing, such as fluorescents, metallic, glow in the dark, opaque white & glitter.	Four-color process inks	Can use a wide variety of inks, for either single color or four-color printing.
Image Qualities	Ideal for vibrant, flat colors. Photos, gradients and high resolution details do not show up as well as with digital or offset printing	Good for higher resolution images with lots of details and subtle gradients, small text may get a little fuzzy.	Perfect for higher resolution images with lots of details and subtle gradients.