Printing a booklet requires many considerations. This includes the type of print, the budget, and the binding, all this according to the use. In order to get the perfect booklet you desire, you have to make choices and most importantly have a clear picture of what you want.
Booklet printing services allow you to decide the details of how you want your booklet to be printed. However, in order to have a clearer idea, here are 3 points that you should keep in mind:
• Type of Print
Based on the type of booklet you want, booklet printing can be of two types, offset printing and digital printing.
Offset printing technology uses plates, usually made from aluminum, which are used to transfer an image onto a rubber “blanket”, and then rolling that image onto a sheet of paper. It’s called offset because the ink is not transferred directly onto the paper. Because offset presses run so efficiently once they are set up, offset printing is the best choice when larger quantities are needed, and provides accurate color reproduction, and crisp, clean professional looking printing.
On the other hand, Digital printing does not use plates the way offset does but instead uses options such as toner (like laser printers) or larger printers that use liquid ink. Digital printing is a better choice when lower quantities are needed e.g. 20 greeting cards or 100 flyers. Another benefit of digital printing is its varying data capability. When each piece needs a different name or address, digital is the only way to go. Offset printing cannot afford this need.
• Budget
Traditional offset printers have much higher costs due to a longer set-up time. Printing plates need to be made, and there are setup costs and maintenance associated with making the offset printer(s) ready. It usually takes about 200 sheets to get your booklet up to color and ready to be produced. As run lengths increase, costs decline. Short runs under 5,000 are more expensive with most offset printers.
With digital printing, all work is done to set up a press for printing and the setup is easier, thus lowering labor costs. No printing plates are needed and the file goes directly to press and prints directly from computer to paper. The first copy is up to color. Costs remain constant overall run lengths.
Affordable printing services use a combination of digital and offset printing presses that allow them to have lower-cost setup so that short-run booklet jobs don’t have the overhead that big offset printing shops have which means they can do the smaller jobs of 10 to 5,000 booklets for less.
• Binding
Another crucial budget aspect to consider when printing booklet will be the binding option you choose. There are two types of binding, namely perfect binding and saddle-stitching. According to your need and budget consideration, you have to choose between these two types of binding. Now there is a difference in the price of these two binding techniques. The reason for this difference involves both time and process. Perfect binding requires more materials and longer production time. That production time includes roughing up the edges of the booklet to allow more surface area for the hot glue to suit the pages better. This creates a more professional presentation compared to saddle stitch but adds to the cost. Whereas saddle stitch booklets do not need the added time to cure (from the glue) because they are simply stapled together. Plus you also you have to consider the page quality as well.
Always remember that price should not be the only thing on your mind when choosing a binding option and it is important to consider how you want to display your booklet. Online printing California helps you to decide upon these factors while making your booklet and thus adding to its use. However, keeping these 3 points in mind will help you further to decide upon your booklet quality.
