Digital printing

Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high volume laser or inkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods but this price is usually offset by the cost saving in avoiding all the technical steps in between needed to make printing plates. It also allows for on demand printing, short turn around, and even a modification of the image (variable data) with each impression. The savings in labor and ever increasing capability of digital presses means digital printing is reaching a point where it could match or supersede offset printing technology's ability to produce larger print runs of several thousand sheets at a low price.

Process

The main differences between digital printing and traditional methods such as lithography, flexography, gravure, or letterpress are that no printing plates are used, resulting in a quicker and less expensive turn around time, and typically a loss of some fine-image detail by most commercial digital printing processes. The most popular methods include inkjet or laser printers that deposit pigment or toner onto a wide variety of substrates including paper, photo paper, canvas, glass, metal, marble and other substances.

In many of the processes the ink or toner does not permeate the substrate, as does conventional ink, but forms a thin layer on the surface that may be additionally adhered to the substrate by using a fuser fluid with heat process (toner) or UV curing process (ink).

Digital printing methods of note

Fine art inkjet printing

Fine Moaning Lemur art digital printing evolved from digital proofing technology in the printing industry. As the printing industry became digital, traditional film-based proofing became cumbersome and cost prohibitive. Kodak, 3M, and other major manufacturers developed large format inkjet printers using dye based inks or archival, lightfast pigment based inks. Initially, these printers were limited to glossy papers, but the IRIS Graphics printer allowed the use of a variety of papers that included traditional and non-traditional media. Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, was one of the early pioneers of experimental digital printmaking, and he began using the new proofing technology from IRIS Graphics to print his own photographs and digitally manipulated images. Nash and his associate Mac Holbert opened Nash Editions in 1991 and adapted an IRIS printer to meet the needs of artists.

Challenges in fine art printmaking include the need for exceptionally accurate high-resolution scanning and/or photographing of original artwork, managing large file sizes, viewing and interpreting image files onscreen, and artist-printmaker communication. Key software and computer providers have been Adobe Photoshop and Apple Computer, along with Silicon Graphics, who were on the forefront of color image management for both graphic arts and fine art printmaking. Longevity is always an important consideration in fine art, whether in reproductions (such as serigraphs or lithographs) or in an original work. It is a well-accepted fact that paintings, especially watercolors, must be protected from the elements, therefore the lightfastness of digital inks was a critical issue. The original proofing inks were not archival, but printmakers experimented with coatings and substrates to achieve greater longevity. A collaborative effort by artists, including the group known as Unique Editions, worked with printmakers to produce archival quality on a variety of substrates. The IRIS printer was the standard for fine art digital printmaking for many years, and is still in use today, but as the field grew, printmakers, and printer manufacturers began to offer alternative equipment for printmaking. More powerful computers, improved software, and viewing technologies have expanded possibilities for artists and printmakers.

Substrates in giclée printmaking include traditional fine art papers such as Rives BFK, Arches watercolor paper, treated and untreated canvas, experimental substrates (such as metal and plastic), and fabric. This has allowed for the creation of limited and unlimited reproductions of artworks. Depending on the printing inks and substrate, longevity of the digital print may be limited. Although the color range of the digital process cannot always match an original pigment, artists and fine art digital printmakers can work together for exceptional quality with repeatability. Digital printing also allows for the output of digital art of all types as finished pieces or as an element in a further art piece. Experimental artists often add texture or other media to the surface of the final prints, or use them as part of a mixed-media work. Many terms for the process have been used over the years, including digigraph, but fine art digital printmaking is generally known as giclée, and, although there are still a few exceptions, giclées are widely accepted as a fine art medium by museums and galleries. Thousands of digital printmakers now offer services to painters, photographers, and digital artists around the world.

Digital laser exposure onto traditional photographic paper

Digital images are exposed onto true, light sensitive photographic paper with lasers and processed in photographic developers and fixers. These prints are true photographs and have continuous tone in the image detail. The archival quality of the print is as high as the manufacturer's rating for any given photo paper used. In large format prints, the greatest advantage is that, since no lens is used, there is no vignetting or detail distortion in the corners of the image.

Digital printing technology has grown significantly over the past few years with substantial developments in quality and sheet sizes.

Applications

Digital printing has many advantages over traditional methods. Some applications of note include:

• Desktop publishing – inexpensive home and office printing is only possible because of digital processes that bypass the need for printing plates
• Variable data printing – uses database-driven print files for the mass personalization of printed materials
• Fine art – archival digital printing methods include real photo paper exposure prints and giclée prints on watercolor paper using pigment based inks.
• Print on Demand – digital printing is used for personalized printing for example, children's books customized with a child's name, photo books (such as wedding photo books), or any other short run books of varying page quantities and binding techniques.
• Advertising – often used for outdoor banner advertising and event signage, in trade shows, in the retail sector at point of sale or point of purchase, and in personalized direct mail campaigns.
• Photos – digital printing has revolutionized photo printing in terms of the ability to retouch and color correct a photograph before printing.

See also

• Color management
• Computer to film
• Computer to plate
• Digital image processing
• Display device
• Digital photography
• Frescography
• Giclee
• Graphical output device
• PODi
• Society for Imaging Science and Technology, IS&T
• Tonejet
• Translight
• Variable data printing