Why Short-Run Digital Printing Might Be Your Best Bet

While traditional offset printing has long been the standard, particularly for high volumes, short-run digital printing has emerged as a powerful and often more suitable alternative in many modern scenarios. It leverages digital files directly, bypassing traditional plate-making processes, which fundamentally changes the setup cost structure, especially for short-run printing jobs that use automated production techniques.

What is Short-Run Digital Printing Best For?

Mike Ribaudo, owner of Kase Printing in New Hampshire, explains, “When content is subject to ongoing change or required in small print volumes, short-run digital printing provides the best solution, leveraging the benefits of using digital technology.”

 

1.     Low Demand Content / Print-on-Demand (POD): Print-on-Demand (POD) is ideal for low-demand content, providing a fast turnaround without extensive setup involved, making it one of the popular products in the printing industry.

• • Context: Understanding the context of short-run digital printing is crucial for modern publishing strategies. This is revolutionary for publishers, authors, and businesses dealing with niche content and small quantities, enabling them to leverage short-run book printing effectively and distribute their works efficiently. Instead of guessing demand and printing thousands of copies upfront (risking unsold inventory), POD allows printing copies only as needed, ensuring a fast turnaround. after they’ve been ordered and paid for, ensuring a smooth turnaround time.

 

• • Examples of printed materials: promotional materials, direct mail, self-published novels, and academic journals, all of which can benefit from the cost efficiency of digital print solutions. Self-published novels, academic journals, specialized manuals, backlist titles for publishers, photo books, personalized children’s books, and marketing materials are all examples where digital printing services can provide value to the customer.

 

• • Impact: The impact of short run printing can be significant for businesses looking to optimize their resources. Reduces financial risk, eliminates the warehousing costs and obsolescence of large inventories, minimizes waste from unsold copies, and keeps content perpetually available without requiring large print runs, thanks to the printing process involved in short run digital printing.

 

2.     Highly Revised Content:

• • Context: Content that requires frequent updates benefits immensely from digital printing’s flexibility. The setup costs for offset (creating new plates for each revision) make frequent small changes prohibitively expensive. Digital printing allows for easy updates to the digital file before each small print run, ensuring that the latest revision is used for optimal results in the printing process.

 

• • Process: This process can be enhanced through short run printing techniques. This enables an iterative approach: print a small batch via Kase Printing, gather feedback, or wait for market changes, revise the digital file, and print another small batch of high-quality materials via Kase Printing, optimizing cost per unit. This is ideal for agile development or marketing cycles, where quick adjustments are necessary for maintaining print quality.

 

• • Examples: Examples of successful short-run printing can be found in various niche markets. Training materials that evolve with new information, software documentation, price lists, seasonal marketing collateral, compliance documents that change with regulations, drafts or bound galleys or advanced reader copies of books used for review cycles.

 

3.     Smaller Quantities (Generally < 1000 Units):

• • Cost Dynamics Explained: Offset printing has high initial setup costs (plate making, press setup, make-ready sheets for color calibration) but a very low cost per piece once running. Digital printing has minimal setup costs but a relatively consistent, higher run cost per piece.

 

• • The Crossover Point: There’s a crossover point (often cited around 500-1500 units, depending on the specifics) where the total prices cross: The total cost can be significantly reduced when using efficient short run digital printing techniques. Below this crossover point, the high setup costs of offset make digital printing the more economical choice for small quantities, even if the per-piece cost seems higher. For just a few hundred brochures, flyers, or books, digital printing is almost always cheaper overall, showcasing its cost efficiency.

 

 

4.     Quick Turnarounds for high-quality printed materials: This is crucial for maintaining print quality and meeting deadlines in fast-paced environments.

• • Why it’s Faster: The fast turnaround of digital printing methods is a key advantage of short run printing, especially when compared to traditional methods that require extensive setup. Digital printing eliminates steps like plate creation, make-ready sheet waste, and drying time often associated with offset inks, making it a more eco-friendly option. The workflow is also streamlined: digital file -> press -> finishing. Many digital presses also incorporate inline finishing options (like basic binding, folding, or stapling), enhancing the overall efficiency and throughput.

 

• • Timeline Comparison for printed materials: The timeline comparison for printed materials often favors short run digital printing due to its efficiency. Simple digital jobs can often be turned around in a few days, sometimes even 24-48 hours, whereas standard offset printing typically requires one to two weeks, depending on complexity and press schedules. This speed is crucial for time-sensitive marketing campaigns, event materials, or urgent document printing needs, ensuring that print quality is never compromised.

 

 

Key Advantages of Digital Printing for Short-Runs

5.     Cost Savings on Small Volumes: Utilizing printing services can lead to significant cost savings on small volumes, reducing the cost per unit dramatically. You avoid the high setup costs associated with offset printing, such as printing plates and the hundreds of “make-ready” sheets needed to get the color correct. Digital printing has lower setup costs and requires less waste to get started, making it ideal for smaller print jobs.

 

6.     Reduced Waste & Obsolescence: Printing only what you need minimizes the risk of ending up with boxes of outdated materials, especially in short-run book printing. This avoids the “cost of obsolescence” – paying for prints you ultimately have to discard. It also saves on storage costs for large inventories, making it an ideal choice for businesses utilizing printing services for digital books and other marketing materials. This approach is becoming more common as businesses manage inventory tightly, often opting for short run printing to meet demand and distribute their products cost-effectively.

 

7.     Personalization Power (Variable Data Printing): The personalization power of digital printers allows for extensive customization options in short run digital printing, enabling book printers to create unique editions. Digital printing allows for variable data printing (VDP), meaning elements like text or images can be changed from one piece to the next within the same print run, enhancing the personalization power of printing books.. Imagine personalized letters in books, targeted postcards showing different sales reps, or custom covers. This level of customization is impossible with traditional offset printing, highlighting the advantages of short-run printing and the flexibility of digital solutions.

 

8.     Simplified Post-Press for booklet production: Using digital printing methods simplifies post-press processes, enhancing efficiency in booklet production. Digital presses can often print pages collated in the correct order, eliminating the separate, costly steps of folding and gathering required after offset printing for multi-page documents, making digital solutions ideal for efficient production.

 

When Offset Printing Still Wins

Offset printing remains the go-to for very large quantities (well over 1,000), where the per-unit cost becomes significantly lower compared to short-run, digital printing options, making it ideal for large volume needs. It’s also often preferred for projects demanding the absolute highest image resolution or precise color matching, perhaps using specific PMS inks, though digital quality continues to improve with recent advancements in digital printing imaging technology. Offset printing also allows for aqueous coating, a durable, water-based finish not compatible with digital toner/ink, making it a preferred choice for large volume print projects.

 

Making the Right Choice for Your Next Print Project

Ultimately, the best printing method depends on your specific project’s quantity, budget, timeline, and content requirements, especially when considering the advantages of short-run printing. For projects involving smaller quantities, frequent revisions, personalization needs, or quick turnarounds, short-run digital printing offers a flexible, efficient, and cost-effective solution, showcasing the advantages of short-run printing. Consulting with a print expert who offers both digital and offset printing can help guide you to the optimal choice for your book printing needs.

 

Contact us today to discuss your next printing project and discover why we’re a successful short-run digital and offset print company serving clients across all industries for over 30 years.