The digital printing industry has changed a lot in recent years and is as vibrant as ever. We all know that the Internet has changed the world over the past two decades and how consumers and businesses have embraced this new technology. This, along with smartphones and digital cameras, has had a huge impact on digital printing. The printing industry has had to constantly evolve to keep up with this technology. One of the most important adaptations is the growth of outdoor digital print services. Just as the old dot matrix printers have long since been replaced by higher quality office printers, large scale printing has gone through an evolution of its own. The biggest differentiator is digital printing, for many reasons.
Large format printing is as popular as ever and continues to be a great way to help a business stand out from the competition. The process involved in large digital outdoor print is advancing more and more each year and the good news is that the options for large format posters, banners, signage and other forms have become more and more sophisticated as printing technologies evolve. .
For years, there have been two common methods for printing things on a large scale: offset printing and digital printing.
Offset printing is the traditional method, most commonly used for printing a larger volume of products. Think newspapers and magazines. And that’s because offset printing uses printing plates that transfer ink images onto a rubber blanket, which is then applied to the printing surface. Offset printing processes have changed very little in the last century.
As technology improves and makes the process more cost-effective, digital printing is not only the current best method to handle most large-scale printing, it is definitely the future.
The quality and capabilities of digital outdoor printing have improved with a range of advances such as the development of better inks, laser printing, better software, increased automation, greater control over color gamut and more precise ink placement to improve resolution.
At the same time, modern digital outdoor printing technology and practices involve lower energy consumption, less volatile organic compounds and less waste, making digital printing more environmentally friendly than in years past.
Digital printing has evolved to become smarter, faster, more accurate and more automated, enabling on-demand and personalized printing. Who wouldn’t want these high-tech attributes applied to their marketing strategy?
Trends in outdoor digital print:
Printing on textiles, glass or plastic
The range of printable materials is expanding every day, printing on canvas, glass and plastic is no longer considered a novelty. At trade shows, printed textiles have been around for a while, but now we’re seeing a trend towards design and decoration.
Stickers and decals
Stickers and decals can be used for digital outdoor print to transform areas into attractive advertising spaces. Basically, stickers, banners and stickers that can be attached to a surface and can include company logo, images, promotional news, discount offers, etc. They can be easily customized for your business and can be a great way to attract customers.
Increase in signage
In the past, signage simply included a business name above a store door in a standard format, but nowadays, thanks to the evolution of digital outdoor print technology, the brand can be displayed in various forms, as well as in other locations around a shopping center , such as shop windows, outdoor banners, awnings, etc. It also needs to include lighting and digital elements to remain relevant and capture the attention of potential buyers.
There are many other advantages of digital printing, including:
- Reduced installation costs and delivery times.
- Quality: There is no printing method available that produces higher quality images than digital outdoor print. Colors are vibrant and alignment and registration are perfect.
- Quantity: often you don’t need more than one digital outdoor print: one banner, one poster. The ease of setting up a digital print reduces costs even without bulk printing.
- Easy Fixes: A last-minute change to your design will cause you less trouble because you can simply change and replace the digital file without having to re-register a printing plate or take any other extra steps.
- Evolution of Technology: Advances in technology mean sharper prints and faster speeds, along with machines that are easier to use. The more cost-effective digital outdoor print becomes, the more it is a viable option for high-volume orders as well.
- No limits: digital printing offers unlimited possibilities for design and use of color. Digital printing also allows high-quality work to be produced on a variety of materials, including wood, vinyl, steel, glass and more.
- Perfect Match: Digital data facilitates accurate color matching and ensures perfect printing. This is a huge time saver for large scale outdoor digital print.
- Sustainable: The precision of digital printing reduces ink waste, making digital outdoor printing a greener option.
Digital printing involves the use of toners, just like a giant office printer, and goes through several steps in seconds to convert the digital file into a print-ready format.
The technology has taken the capabilities of personalized digital outdoor printing to a new level. You’ll be amazed at what can be done with digital outdoor printing, from window graphics, flags, illuminated displays, billboards, banners and almost any surface you can imagine.
And thanks to these advances in digital outdoor printing, large format printing services are more affordable than ever.