Off-set litho printing on promotional gifts

All general stationery printed by the local printer or quick print shop traditionally used the off-set litho printing method.

Off-set litho printing machines use conventional artwork on a bromide, transferred to film and then to a printing plate made of paper (short run), polyplate (medium run) or aluminium plate (long run and tight registration colour work).

However, the necessity of a plate per colour has meant that, in many cases, the offset litho printing process has become uncompetitive for short run full colour work. Further, with the proliferation of low cost office colour printers, many buyers expect full colour personalization to be available for the branding of business gifts and promotional items.

Inexorable technological advances dictate that many short run letterheads, invoices and such like previously produced by off-set litho printing are now produced in-house as a computer printout or by a print shop using a fast digital colour printer.

These sizes are often outside the scope of the normal office digital colour printer though A3 size digital colour printers are seen in some offices. However, on a cost basis it is not yet practical to use low volume printers on desktop promotional items like desk pads.

You can check out some of the other personalisation methods by navigating to them from the navigation panel to the left of the screen after you have assimilated How Business Gifts are Personalised - Off-set Litho Printing.