Making The Printed Page Pop

Digital printing is affordable, fast, and accurate. However, don't expect high-quality printouts if you don't plan for it. Below are the critical factors determining digital printing quality.

Printing Medium

The major digital printing mediums include paper, aluminum, acrylic, and canvas. These mediums produce different qualities depending on the intended printout use. For example, paper is suitable for printouts you wish to frame and display, while canvas has an artistic look that other mediums struggle to replicate.

Each medium is also available in different types that produce different printing qualities. For example, glossy paper produces richer colors than matte paper. Thus, glossy paper is more suitable for pictures than matte paper.

Printer

Different printer features determine the printout quality. For example, the printer type determines the number of dots per square inch (DPI). The DPI determines the printout's sharpness or detail level; a high DPI gives sharper details. Your design determines how sharp you want the printout to be. For example, good-quality pictures require higher DPI than good-quality texts.

Ink

The best ink depends on different factors, including the medium and type of printout (for example, canvas or paper). For example:

• Water-based inks are generally best for porous mediums
• Solvent-based inks produce rich colors
• Acid inks are suitable for wool and silk

Some colors fade faster, some are brighter, and some smudge easier.

Solid Color Areas

Many digital printers struggle to produce high-quality images with large areas of solid colors. Printouts with large areas of solid colors usually have banding lines (light or dark horizontal lines that shouldn't be on the printout).

Banding lines appear because of clogged ink nozzles, especially on irregularly used printers. Other causes include incorrect printing speed and nozzle damage. Choosing the right printer and printing design reduces banding risk. For example, interposing text or graphics between areas of solid colors will help.

Design

Lastly, your printouts' quality does not depend only on the actual printing; the design also matters. Ideally, you should customize the design, considering the printing medium, ink, graphics, pictures, and font size.

For example, simply resizing an image might not produce a high-quality smaller image. Instead, you should edit the image in such a way that it doesn't lose its resolution. Professional designers will give you better results than DIY or amateur designers.

Don't rely on your DIY skills to give you high-quality digital prints. Consult a professional, outline your needs and preferences, and let the professional use their skills and experience to give you high-quality results.

Contact a local company to learn more about digital printing.