Digital printing and variable data
From personalized letter to web-to-print
Digital printing has in a few decades changed what a print shop can offer. Without printing plates a machine can switch from one task to the next in minutes — and every single copy in a print run can in principle be unique.
§No pressure plates – what does that mean?
Where offset printing requires a physical printing plate per colour, digital printing works directly from the digital file each time a sheet or sheet part is printed. This makes digital printing ideal for short runs, rush jobs and products that need to be personalised — without the start-up time and costs that printing plates require.
- 01No sheet production – shorter startup per task.
- 02Make light versions of today's main movements.
- 03Opportunity to print each copy differently.
- 04Quick changeover between tasks.
§Variable data — each copy is unique
One of digital printing's great strengths is variable data printing: name, address, offer or image can vary from one copy to the next within the same print run. It is used, for example, for personalised letters, member magazines with individual offers and addressed mailings. The technique requires data from a database to be linked with a template, so each sheet gets its own content.
§RIP, calibration and consumables
Just as in offset, the file must go through a RIP before it can be printed. On a digital printing machine, you must also continuously calibrate the machine so the colors remain stable from day to day, and replace consumables such as toner, ink or drums as needed to keep production running optimally.
| Assignment | Why it is necessary |
|---|---|
| Calibration | Ensures that colours match from task to task and from day to day |
| Replacement of consumables | Avoid stripes spots and production stoppages in the middle of a batch. |
| Handling of staffage colours | Ensures that special colours hit the agreed shade in a digital process |
§Web-to-print — the customer orders themselves
Many print shops today offer web-to-print solutions where the customer can enter a template online add their own content and order. As a graphic technician you can help build the templates with attached rule sets that ensure the customer's own layout still complies with trimming colour space and other technical requirements without the customer having to understand the technical aspects.
Digital printing requires a different type of attention than offset: less mechanical fine-tuning of color balance but more focus on file handling data flow and ensuring the machine delivers consistent quality from first to last sheet.