Top 5 Types of Printing to Make Your Items Stand Out From the Crowd
Did you know that the inventor Johannes Gutenberg created the first printer in 1450?
It was called the Gutenberg press and changed how humans perceived printing processes! Of course, you can see its traces in the modern types of printing, but the print industry has come a long way.
With the rise in web printing solutions, businesses and individuals can place custom orders and get their items to look however they want! They can design their materials directly on a web browser, incorporate variable data printing, and automate everything.
However, knowing the popular types of postcard printing options can help you make the right choice!
This blog uncovers the most-commonly used print methods you must consider for your next event, marketing campaign, etc.
Let’s dig in!
What Is Web-to-Print?
The web-to-print sector covers various types of printing options for B2B and B2C companies. It helps recreate digital pictures on any physical surface, like plastic, apparel, photographic paper, etc.
Unlike the traditional types of postcard printing using print plates, web-to-print enables businesses to produce hundreds of customised items. They can also control the outcomes by reviewing the changes at the last minute before printing items in large volumes.
Typically, a web-to-print platform is a digital storefront wherein you can upload the types of printed items you need. You may add the artwork or use the platform’s pre-built design templates.
For example, PostGrid’s web-to-print API allows you to use multiple types of printing and lets you select from the in-built templates. You can add your company branding by inserting your logo, tagline, etc., and adding personalised imagery and text.
Web-to-print ensures that businesses have a comprehensive printing solution at their fingertips to order materials, like:
- Newsletters and letterhead.
- Business cards.
- Flyers.
- Brochures and catalogues.
- Postcards.
- Formal and marketing letters.
- Banner and standees.
- Posters.
- Signage, etc.
Some of these materials are general pieces you may need to print throughout the year, like business cards. Others are apt for a specific event or program, like brochures. Either way, ensure your vendor offers affordable and high-quality types of printing solutions so you can make a good impression in front of your audience!
5 Types of Printing You Must Use for Web-to-Print Solutions
Modern printing methods have numerous applications, and you can print on almost any surface from your laptop or phone. However, it is worth studying the printing types in-depth to ensure your selected methods can help make your materials look elegant and eye-catching.
Here are the most popular types of printing to look into
#1 Offset Lithography
Offset printing or litho is one of the most suitable types of postcard printing to produce printed items in large quantities. It uses aluminium printing plates to hold the picture of the content you need to print!
The printing vendor usually transfers these plates onto rubber blankets or rollers before moving them to the printing surface. It can be any paper stock you want to use, from glossy sheets to a bumpy canvas.
Since the surface does not touch the metal plates, printing companies keep them for several years without issues. It is the reason offset lithography is one of the most affordable types of printing to employ.
Also, the flexible materials in the rubber blankets make this method one of those types of printing that helps print on rough-surfaced items. Hence, though businesses use litho to produce newspapers, stationery, or magazines, you may use it for printing on cloth, wood, etc.
Offset lithography is excellent for producing high-quality items with the same quality and consistency. You can use it for small-volume printing jobs, but the costs may rise.
One of the primary reasons offset lithography is among the top 5 methods of printing is its ability to personalise materials. Thus, you can plan your tailored marketing programs without worrying about multiple printing runs and the costs associated with variable data printing.
#2 Flexography
Flexography is also among the types of printing suited for printing on rough surfaces. Also, it helps print on large media with solid colours, making it the best choice for food packages, wallpapers, gift wraps, and labels. You can use flexography to print anything with continuous patterns.
Isn’t it amazing how you can print hundreds and thousands of labels or branded wrapping materials in one go using flexography?
These features make it the most popular choice among restaurants, educational institutions, media houses, etc.
Flexography is among the top 5 types of digital printing to help you print on a wide range of media, including cellophane, metallic film, and plastic.
But how does it work? It is a letterpress printing method with photopolymer printing plates covering the rotating cylinders. Some people call it a new outlook to letterpress types of printing, helpful to print on uneven media.
Flexography uses semi-liquid, quick-drying inks and helps vendors complete high-volume print jobs. The printing plates have embossed artwork images, and the cylinders help rotate and transfer the content onto a surface.
These methods make the print jobs faster than usual, making flexography one of the speediest types of printing suitable for urgent orders.
#3 Digital Printing
Digital printing is one of the easiest and most cost-effective types of postcard printing options. It takes a digital approach to print jobs, eliminating the use of plates and reducing setup costs.
There is a wide range of printing techniques available, like inkjet and laser. Digital printing helps produce high-resolution postcards, menus, newsletters, stationery, photos, etc., using these methods.
It allows you to print your artwork on cardboard, magnets, plastic, cloth, film, labels, etc. Usually, printing vendors use desktop and industrial-sized printers to use these types of printing for your materials. The good news is that you can use as many colours as you want to make your design look the same as its digital version.
The digital types of printing methods allow fast turnaround times and printing items on demand. Businesses can print as little as one material and still save costs. It works the same way when you take a printout of a document or bill—you send the PDF file directly to a printer and get the item instantly.
However, you need to design high-resolution artwork to use digital types of printing options and achieve the desired effect on paper. Your image resolution must be at least 300 dpi, or it can be a complete waste. However, the upside is that you get a lot of time to perfect your format and image size to fit the requirements.
#4 Screen Printing
With the screen printing method, printers use a screen or a stretched-out mesh to print the artwork on a surface. They press the ink against the mesh to transfer the picture to the print media.
Earlier, printers confided screen types of printing on silk materials only, but now they use several kinds of other materials. During the printing process, they lay the artwork on the top of the screen and cover it with photo emulsion. Then, the printer exposes the entire screen to light, hardening the emulsion and washing away the rest. At last, only one type of stencil remains, and the vendor pulls the ink with a squeegee.
Among the 5 methods of printing- screen printing is most commonly used for adding logos and graphics on clothes and producing fabric banners. However, screen printing demands a lot of preparation, so consider choosing it only for large-volume jobs for repeat materials.
The types of printing that involve screening are not very cost-effective, making it impossible to use them for on-demand or small orders. But, it is an excellent option if you want to print thousands of copies of the same image over time—meaning there is less scope for personalisation.
Screen printing is among the top 5 methods of printing because it is a reusable, versatile printing method, allowing you to use various brightly coloured inks to print:
- T-shirts.
- Posters.
- Event standees.
- Promotional flyers.
- Brochures.
- Postcards, etc.
#5 Large-Format Printing
It is one of the most helpful types of printing to cover maximum roll width. Large-format printing is apt for offline marketing channels, like billboards, signage, etc. Businesses looking to grab their audience’s attention and make an influential impact should use large-format printing. It gives them a larger area to work with, unlike digital printing.
Instead of printing artwork on individual paper sheets, these types of printing use print rolls that printers feed incrementally to create one large sheet. Thus, you can print items, like banners, building wraps, murals, etc., without trouble!
Most companies use large format printing to print flat items, but don’t restrict yourselves! You can make these promotional materials stand, hang them somewhere, or fold them to create a specific illusion.
How Do PostGrid’s Print and Mail Services Let Businesses Benefit From Different Types of Printing?
Web-to-print solutions transform how quickly and conveniently companies can print and use materials. There are no limits regarding the type, quality, or quantity if you use a print and mail API like PostGrid!
Our automated print and mail services help you design, produce, and ship items like postcards, letters, etc. You can use the different types of printing discussed in this blog and customise your materials. PostGrid offers impeccable personalisation options to help you target your intended audience effectively and drive responses.
Here is a case study of how PostGrid helped a client pull a product launch event within a short span using our different types of printing and quick turnaround times:
The B2B company wanted to host a big event to launch its new range of products and invite all its clients. But they had a short time to send invitations, marketing mailers, registration forms, etc. So they approached PostGrid to assist them in promoting the event, bringing in more visitors, and increasing the overall ROI.
PostGrid offered them many types of printing and customisation options. Thus, they could send attractive invitation postcards and get a 90% RSVP rate. Almost 85% of these customers visited the event with hundreds of other potential clients. We can give credit to the 2,000+ advertising mailings they sent using our automated solutions.
Thus, PostGrid’s direct mailing solutions with custom types of printing help businesses get closer to their audience and increase revenue. Moreover, they don’t need to invest too much because we offer flexible pricing plans with numerous advanced features to keep costs low.
Conclusion
Using multiple types of postcard printing helps companies produce various items that represent their brand and help them communicate with their customers. Choosing one from many methods may be complicated, but you can switch to different types for every campaign.
You need a reliable, efficient, affordable service provider like PostGrid to help you along the way. Sign up now to see how PostGrid’s print and mail services help you use various types of printing and conduct successful marketing campaigns!
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