More and more these days people call and ask the question of what are the pros cons of print on demand. There are reasons that print on demand is the fastest growing part of the printing business. Print on Demand emerged when digital printing started coming to the forefront. Conventional printing is a process that all things being equal is slower and not very efficient in doing small quantities of printed product.

In todays fast paced world where the customer controls the content and bringing products to market quickly is not a luxury but a necessity digital printing became a popular choice.

The pros of On Demand Printing are:
-Fast Turnaround
-Small quantities
-Reduced obsolescence
-Ability to revise quickly
-Possibility of Varaible Print
-Reduce costs at small quantities

The cons of On Demand Printing are:
-Lesser quality sometimes to Offset Printing
-Increased costs at larger quantities compared to Offset Printing
-Less rub resistance to wear
-Less finishing possibilities

Many of these factors I have mentioned above were at one time a big factor but have become less and less of a factor. The best reason I give my customers to decide on what to use is price and turnaround times. If you have very little time to get a printed piece it normally pays to do it on demand. This is because you have very little or no setup time on digital equipment. If you are doing a large enough quantity your per unit piece doing it on demand flattens our pretty quickly where as on offset printing it will start higher on a low quantity scale and drop more drastically as your quantity goes higher.

Print on Demand can be gloss coated on some digital presses just like offset printing. Your options would be varnish, aqueous and UV coating. Most of these processes would be done offline. Hope this has been informative on pros cons of Print on Demand and please let me know if you have any questions.


Written by buzz@odeecompany.com


See also:
Job Requirements of Digital Printing
Offset Printing vs Digital Printing