PHOTOCOPYING

Advantages:
Very cost effective for small quantities. Good quality for straight b&w. Quick turnaround.

Disadvantages:
Poor quality for photos & greyscales. Expensive for large volumes. All copies are “second generation.”

Best Usage:
Administrative copying. Short-run handouts.

DIGITAL COPYING

Black & White - Traditional Copier Based

Advantages:
Very cost effective for small quantities. Good quality for lineart & greyscale. Sometimes supports printing from disk. Quick turnaround.

Disadvantages:
Expensive for large quantities of one piece.

Best Usage:
Short-run manuals, books, catalogues, etc.

LASER COPYING

Black & White or Colour - "Continuous Tone"

Advantages:
Very cost effective for small quantities. Generally supports printing from disk. Full colour. Continuous tone. Quick turnaround.

Disadvantages:
Expensive per page cost. Some stock limitations.

Best Usage:
Short run Full Colour.

QUICK PRINTING

Offset Printing Using "Instant" Plates & Camera Ready Art

Advantages:
Offers choice of colours. Becomes more cost effective than copying at reasonably low volumes.

Disadvantages:
Does not allow for tight registration of colours.

Best Usage:
Short to medium runs of “loose-registration” administrative printing or marketing materials.

OFFSET PRINTING

Spot Colour using Film & traditional Metal Plates

Advantages:
Extremely good quality. Choices of colours. Traditional method for high quality printing. Low per page cost for long runs.

Disadvantages:
Set up costs can make shorter runs expensive. Takes slightly longer than copying or quick printing.

Best Usage:
Stationery. Top quality b&w and spot colour marketing materials

FULL COLOUR OFFSET PRINTING

Full Colour (CMYK) Using Linotronic Film & Metal Plates

Advantages:
Vibrant full colour. Low per page cost for long runs.

Disadvantages:
Initial setup costs make short runs very impractical. Longer turnarounds make advance planning imperative.

Best Usage:
Top quality, high impact marketing materials.