Why Use a Digital Book Printing Service

Having put all that time and effort to write or compile your book you will want to ensure that it is printed in the style and look that you want – so how do you decide which is the best method and format to print your book? There are two main options – traditional offset printing or to make use of the newer technology and opt for digital book printing. The two main considerations are the quantity of copies you want to print and the quality of the finished article – here are some aspects to consider when choosing your commercial book printing method:

More information about offset printing –

• Method – This is the traditional book printing method using ink and a printing press. Four ink colours – CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) – are used for the book cover, whilst the pages are usually produced with black ink on large sheets of paper folded into signatures.
• Cost – In larger quantities, offset printing is very cost-effective as the more copies you print the less each individual book or unit is. This is because a lot of the cost is in the initial set-up of the process – in practical terms you would need to produce a print run of a minimum of a thousand copies to make offset printing cost-effective or viable.
• Quality – Offset printing allows flexibility and quality control as you can set your printer to choose your book size, paper type and binding choice to produce exactly the book you want.

Helpful information about digital printing –

• Method – Digital book printing produces books on high-quality laser and inkjet printers. The pages are printed on high-end paper whilst the full-colour book covers are generally printed on cardstock. Short print runs are easy to produce, and digital printing is ideal for on-demand book printing of single copies upwards.
• Cost – If you only want a short, limited print run, then digital book printing is far less expensive. In effect, each individual copy is more expensive per unit than traditional printing, but the set-up costs are minimal, and each copy costs the same amount to produce regardless of the number of copies, as opposed to relying on larger quantities to reduce the cost of each individual book like in offset printing.
• Quality – Choices of trim size and paper types are more limited with digital book printing bit all the standard sizes are covered which are the most requested and common formats. Occasionally, the colours used in the print may vary slightly on any given day, but not enough to affect the quality or appearance of the printed article.

Make an informed comparison based on your requirement

It really depends on your commercial book printing requirements – if you want to print in large quantities and need a specific paper size or trim for your book, then offset printing may be your choice. In contrast, if you want to produce a print run in smaller quantities (as many self-publishers require) and are happy for your books to be a standard size, then digital book printing is a preferable option. Digital printing is also ideal to produce initial advance copies to test the market and allows you to switch up to the more traditional printing method if demand justifies it.     

Print2Demand

We are an all round UK book manufacturing and printing service. We work closely with publishers, self publishers and authors. We have a state of the art factory, complemented by our sales and marketing office in Westoning, Bedfordshire. We have invested in the very latest digital and litho printing technology, to integrate with a fully equipped craftsman bindery.  The conclusion of which means we are offering both softback and hardback books, to a very high standard of quality.

Order your book printing online or contact our team for more information.