Digital printing, and the point where offset takes over
Digital and offset are not fast and slow, or cheap and expensive. They are two ways of putting ink on a sheet with different setup costs, different colour behaviour and different stock limits — and there is a crossover point where the answer changes.
EZ Print produces both digitally printed and offset printed work in Singapore, and has done since 2017. Digital printing puts a new image on every sheet with no plates, so setup is minimal, short runs are economical, and every sheet can be different — which is what makes variable data, numbering and personalisation possible. Offset transfers ink from plates through a blanket to the sheet, so the setup is significant and the cost per sheet then falls sharply, which is why long runs go that way. The crossover for typical sheet-fed work sits somewhere between one and two thousand sheets, and it moves with the stock, the size and the number of colours. Offset also holds a Pantone spot colour exactly, where digital simulates it in process inks. The specification does not change between them: stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline. EZ Print quotes from the specification and does not publish prices.
Products quoted on this page
Specifications, formats and enquiry details for each product quoted on this service.
Six things, and only one of them is quantity. This page exists because "digital printing" is a search anybody comparing printers types, and the honest answer to it is a comparison rather than a product.
Digital proof · A6 105 × 148 mm
Bleed line (+3 mm)Actual trim size (105 × 148 mm)Safe zone (5 mm inside trim)
Bleed line (+3 mm)Actual trim size · 105 × 148 mmSafe zone (5 mm)
Proof
On the actual stock
sales@ezprint.com.sg · +65 8208 7778
Drawn at true size — trim 105 × 148 mm, 3 mm bleed dashed outside the trim, 5 mm safety margin dashed inside it.
1,000to 2,000
Roughly where the crossover sits for sheet-fed work. Below it, digital is almost always the answer; above it, offset usually is. The exact point moves with the stock, the size and the colours.
Digital · what it is
A new image on every sheet, no plates, minimal setup. Short runs and variable data.
Offset · what it is
Ink from plates through a blanket to the sheet. Significant setup, then a low cost per sheet.
Crossover
Roughly one to two thousand sheets for typical sheet-fed work. It moves with stock, size and colours.
Colour
Digital simulates a Pantone in process inks; offset can run the actual spot colour.
Stock range
Digital handles the held range to about 400 gsm; offset covers heavier and unusual stocks more easily.
Variable data
Digital only. Names, numbers and codes different on every sheet in one pass.
Proofing
A digital proof on the actual stock is possible before a long offset run.
Turnaround
Standard is 7–14 working days on either process. Express is quoted per job.
What to ask for
800 A5 flyers
157 gsm gloss art paper
4C/4C
No lamination
Digital, because the run is below the crossover
Print-ready PDF supplied
Needed by — your date
The material
What each process does to a sheet
The same file on the same stock behaves differently between the two processes, and the differences are small, real and worth knowing before a decision is made. The edges below are drawn at the measured caliper of the weight named.
0.13 mmCoating at 8×
Gloss art paper0.13 mm · 157 gsm
Also sold as gloss art, coated text. Held at 128 and 157 gsm.
Runs well on both processes. The workhorse text and flyer stock, and the sheet most crossover decisions are made on.
Under ink
Digital toner sits on the coating with a very slight sheen; offset ink lies flatter into it. Side by side the difference is visible, at arm’s length it is not.
Best for
Flyers, leaflets, brochures and booklet text at any quantity.
Avoid for
Nothing. It is the default for a reason.
On the schedule
Held, and it runs on either process. Offset adds plate making before the first sheet.
Matt art card0.36 mm · 350 gsm
Also sold as matt coated card, C2S matt. Held at 310, 350 and 400 gsm.
The card most short-run work is printed on, and the upper end of what a digital press handles comfortably.
Under ink
Solids are even on both. A very large flat solid is where offset still has an edge.
Best for
Name cards, invitations, folders, covers.
Avoid for
Assuming any weight will run digitally. Above about 400 gsm the sheet has to be handled differently.
On the schedule
Held. About the upper weight a digital press handles comfortably.
Uncoated woodfree0.42 mm · 300 gsm
Also sold as uncoated natural, offset paper. Held at 300, 350 and 400 gsm.
Named after the process for a reason. Uncoated stock absorbs ink, which is exactly what offset ink is formulated for.
Under ink
Chroma drops on both processes, slightly more on offset because the ink sinks into the fibre. Build for it either way.
Best for
Letterheads, stationery, anything written on, anything where the paper is the message.
Avoid for
Full-bleed photographic work on either process.
On the schedule
Held, and it is what offset ink was formulated for.
Cotton soft white0.66 mm · 450 gsm
Also sold as cotton card, letterpress stock. Held at 350 and 450 gsm.
The example of a stock where the process choice is made for you. Heavy, soft and compressible, and it is not a digital press sheet.
Under ink
Absorbent. It is chosen for letterpress and relief rather than for four-colour printing of any kind.
Best for
Letterpress, blind deboss, painted edges.
Avoid for
Expecting a four-colour photographic result on it, by any process.
On the schedule
Ordered against the job, and it is a letterpress sheet rather than a press sheet.
The honest way to decide is to send the specification and let the quotation state which process it assumes. A job quoted digitally and a job quoted offset are two different cost structures and two different colour behaviours, on the same standard window.The materials library →
Variable data is the one thing offset cannot do at all. If every sheet has to be different — a name, a number, a code — the process is decided before anything else is.
What the process changes downstream
The choice of press changes what happens after it. Digital sheets are ready to finish as soon as they are printed; offset sheets need the ink to set before they can be laminated or folded, which is a real interval rather than a scheduling preference — and it is planned into the window rather than added on top of it.
Process operations: what each one needs, and whether its plates or setup are kept
Finish
Tooling
What the reorder pays for
Round-corneringStandard radii, on a die held as stock tooling
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Matt or gloss laminationSingle pass, both sides
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Spot UVNeeds a screen; reads best over matt film
Made once
Kept on file with your approved artwork. The reorder runs from it.
Die-cuttingA forme is cut once, then kept for the reorder
Made once
Kept on file with your approved artwork. The reorder runs from it.
Saddle-stitch binding
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Plate makingOffset only. One plate per colour, made for the run
Made each run
Remade for every order.
Ink set-off intervalOffset only. Ink has to set before a sheet can be laminated or folded
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Variable data setupDigital only. A merge against a supplied spreadsheet, proofed on the longest record
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Pantone spot colour matchingOffset only. Digital simulates a spot colour in process inks
None
Nothing to make, so nothing to remake.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Every operation here is quoted inside the standard window. What changes between a first order and a second is the tooling: a die, a block or a screen is made once and then kept on file with your approved artwork, which is why the reorder of a job carrying one is a different job from the first.
Nobody should be choosing a printing process. They should be sending a specification and being told which one their job is, and why.
Pairings that work
+Short runs of anything on the held stock range, printed digitally. No plates and no setup, so nothing is paid for twice on a run of two hundred.
+Long runs of a flyer or a booklet, printed offset. The setup is paid once and the cost per sheet then falls sharply.
+A digital proof on the actual stock before a long offset run. It answers the colour question before the plates are made.
+Variable names, numbers or codes, printed digitally in one pass. It is the only process that can do it.
Combinations that fail
×Choosing offset for a run of two hundred. The plate setup dominates the job and there is nothing to gain from it.
×Choosing digital for a run of twenty thousand. The cost per sheet never falls, and the run takes far longer than it needs to.
×Expecting an exact Pantone match from a digital press. Digital simulates a spot colour in process inks; offset runs the actual ink.
×Reprinting a long offset run to correct a colour that a digital proof on the right stock would have shown for almost nothing.
The comparison, plainly
Six differences that actually matter, stated without preference. Neither process is better; they are answers to different questions, and most jobs have an obvious one.
Setup
Digital: none to speak of. Offset: plates for each colour, made before anything prints.
Short runs
Digital wins comprehensively below about a thousand sheets.
Long runs
Offset wins above roughly two thousand, and the gap widens with quantity.
Spot colour
Offset runs the actual Pantone ink. Digital simulates it in process inks.
Variable data
Digital only. Every sheet can carry a different name, number or code.
Speed to a first sheet
Digital, immediately. Offset, after plates and make-ready.
The same file works for both, with two exceptions
Artwork requirements barely change between the processes, which is why the process is a production decision rather than a design one. Two things do change: how a spot colour is specified, and whether the file carries variable fields.
The file
Format
PDF/X-4 for both processes. Illustrator and packaged InDesign accepted.
Bleed
3 mm on all four sides, whichever process the job runs on.
Spot colours
Named exactly where they are to be matched on offset. On digital they are converted to process.
Variable fields
Marked as empty boxes with the typeface and alignment stated; data supplied as a spreadsheet.
Fonts
Outlined or fully embedded, either way.
Images
300 dpi at final size for sheet-fed work on both processes.
The colour, and the detail
Colour mode
CMYK for both. RGB converts, and the conversion is not identical between processes.
Rich black
C60 M40 Y40 K100, total ink 240% on coated stock, on either press.
Large flat solids
Where a huge flat area of one colour is the design, offset is the more even result.
Small reverse type
Both hold it on coated stock; both struggle below about 6 pt on uncoated.
Colour consistency
Across a very long run, offset holds more consistently. Across a short one it makes no difference.
Proofing
A digital proof on the actual stock is the reliable check, and it is worth it before any long run.
Send the specification and the quantity rather than a process. The quotation states which process the job assumes and what that means for colour, stock and cost — which is the part the choice actually decides.
Turnaround
What the process changes, and what it does not
Standard
Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days.
Standard orders. The schedule for specialist finishing is confirmed in your quotation.
Express
Same-day printing available.
Subject to artwork, stock and production capacity confirmation. Timing is agreed for each job.
What the process does not change
The window. Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days whether a job is quoted digitally or on offset, and the specification a quotation is built from — stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline — is identical either way.
What the process does change
Setup, colour and stock. Offset makes plates before the first sheet and then needs the ink to set before the sheet can be laminated or folded; digital has neither of those and is the only process that will put a different name on every sheet.
If the date is tight
Send the quantity with the specification and ask for an express quotation. The quotation states which process the job assumes, and we confirm the specification and production schedule in the quotation.
The interval an offset sheet needs before it can be laminated or folded is a property of the ink rather than of the schedule. It is one of the clearest examples on this site of a constraint that is physical rather than commercial — which is exactly why it is planned into the window instead of promised away.
Every answer here is in the page source at full opacity, open or closed. An answer engine has to be able to read it without executing anything.
Questions asked about printing processes
What is the difference between digital and offset printing?
Digital puts a new image on every sheet with no plates, so setup is minimal and short runs are economical. Offset transfers ink from plates through a rubber blanket to the sheet, so setup is significant and the cost per sheet then falls sharply. Neither is better — they answer different questions.
At what quantity does offset become worthwhile?
Roughly between one and two thousand sheets for typical sheet-fed work, and the exact point moves with the stock, the size and the number of colours. Below it, digital is almost always the answer; well above it, offset almost always is.
Can digital printing match a Pantone colour?
It can simulate one in process inks, and the simulation is usually close. Offset can run the actual Pantone ink, which is the only way to match a brand colour exactly. If the colour is critical, say so with the specification and the process is chosen against it.
Is digital printing lower quality than offset?
No, and it has not been for years. Side by side on a coated sheet the differences are small — offset lies slightly flatter into the coating and holds a very large flat solid more evenly. At arm’s length, on a normal job, the two are hard to tell apart.
What is variable data printing?
Printing where every sheet carries something different — a name, a number, a code — merged from a supplied spreadsheet in a single pass. It is possible only on a digital press, because an offset plate prints the same image every time.
Why can offset work not be laminated straight off the press?
Because offset ink has to set before a film can be bonded over it or the sheet folded through it. That interval is a property of the ink rather than a scheduling choice, which is why it is planned into the schedule rather than worked around.
Which process will my job use?
Send the stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline, and the quotation states which process the job assumes and what that means for colour, stock and cost. The specification does not change between the two, and neither does the standard window.
Trading since 2017 — EZ PRINT PRIVATE LIMITED, UEN 201706183R.
Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days. For urgent orders or express schedules, please check with EZ Print.
Artwork is checked before production.
Island-wide courier delivery within Singapore.
Collection can be arranged on request.
Send a specification and get the process with it
Every job is quoted from its specification — stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline.
Quantity
Stock — or the feel you want, if you do not know the stock
