What is Offset To Print and Why Do You Need It? by David Granoff

A technical description of the offset printing process takes up many words and uses lots of complicated jargon, but suffice it to say that offset printing is what makes books, newspapers, magazines and many other materials affordable for purchase and for custom hiring.

Today the offset printing industry accounts for more than forty percent of all the printing done in the United States. It holds such a distinctive place because of its speed, reliability, remarkable quality and affordable pricing.

Almost every business will use the services of offset printers. This might be to have a large batch of catalogs created, or to have some glossy marketing materials supplied, it could create a large number of reports or an entire array of public relations materials. Regardless of the way in which the process was used however, it is likely that it did not cost the business or organization a large amount of money.

Why not? Once a printing company absorbs the expense of purchasing their presses and supplies they can extend incredibly reasonable pricing on all of their print jobs. The process itself is not an expensive procedure and if a job is done on a standard weight of paper it will reduce the cost of the job even further.

So, why do I need offset printing? If low price weren't enough of an incentive, the convenience and flexibility of this printing style would supply the rest of the answer. Almost every modern business has computer equipment, and a majority of these computers have programs that can quickly and easily create "printer quality" files. This means that a business owner or computer user who wants to design their own flyer, posters, catalog or even book will be able to do so thanks to the process of offset printing.

If a specific example is required, consider the following: a small community center wants to be a bit more competitive with a few local fitness clubs. They see that the clubs print quarterly catalogs or flyers advertising their equipment, classes and membership rates. So, the community center finds a volunteer to design a small catalog for their upcoming winter programs. They find an online printing company who reviews the file and sends them an electronic version of the printed catalog. They can review this file and approve the print job.

Of course with offset printing they could also incorporate their mailing list into the printing process as well. This means that in a single afternoon their catalog could be printed and assembled and then delivered to a mailing house the following day. In the matter of a week or two the small community center could position themselves to be competitive in their local market simply by enlisting the low cost services of an offset printing company.

Without the low cost of offset printing many businesses and organizations would not be able to access some essential services. Additionally, low cost paperback and hardcover books would be quite hard to find as well. Clearly everyone, business and consumer alike, requires offset printing.