It depends on how many sheets are required, but as a general rule of thumb it becomes cost efficient to switch from digital to litho printing at around 2,000 sheets.

Yes. Litho-printed stock can be overprinted, but only if the area to receive the digital ink has been spot sealed. Without spot sealing, the digital ink will not adhere properly and may smudge or slide off the sheet.

Litho-printed stock cannot be fully personalised, as litho printing produces identical copies. However, personalisation is possible in limited circumstances using a hybrid approach. If the litho-printed stock has been spot sealed, names, addresses, or other variable information can be digitally overprinted at a later stage. This allows for a level of personalisation while retaining the cost and quality benefits of litho printing.

No. Litho (offset) printing does not support full personalisation, as all items are printed the same. However, in some cases a hybrid approach can be used. For example, if it is more cost-effective to produce a brochure using litho printing, the cover can be spot sealed, allowing names and addresses to be digitally overprinted at a later stage. This creates a personalised self-mail brochure while still benefiting from the economies of litho printing.

Bishops Printers Heidelberg presses use a spectrophotometric colour measurement system developed by the manufacturer for their litho/offset presses. ‘Prinect Inpress Control’ automatically measures and adjusts colour and register during the print run.

It depends on how many items you’re printing and how many pages there are. Litho printing is generally more cost-effective on print runs of 1,000-2,000.

No. In terms of print speed, litho printing is generally much faster than digital printing. Litho presses can run at speeds of around 16,000 sheets per hour, compared with approximately 7,000 sheets per hour for digital presses.

No, there isn’t a maximum order quantity for litho printing. Litho presses are designed for mass production and can produce up to 18,000 sheets per hour, making them ideal for very large print runs. That said, not all sheet-fed litho presses have the same capacity. Presses that can print larger sheet sizes tend to be more cost-efficient at higher volumes. In some cases, commercial printers may also limit extremely large runs if it would tie up their presses for extended periods and impact other production work.

No, but the fixed costs of plate making can make it uneconomical to use litho printing for small print runs. As a rule of thumb, litho printing generally becomes more economical than digital printing at around 1,000-2,000 sheets.

Litho/offset printing uses liquid inks that are transferred via metal plates – one for each colour (CMYK). The ink is applied to the plate, passed onto a rubber blanket, and then pressed onto the paper. The method is best suited to larger print runs and delivers consistent, high-quality results. Digital printing uses toner-based inks that are fused onto the paper using heat. It prints directly from a digital file, such as a PDF or variable data, making it ideal for short runs, fast turnaround times and personalised printing