Digital printing has evolved hugely over the past twenty years, but to some minds digital is the ‘instant coffee’ of printing, a method that delivers a small number of copies quickly but cannot match the best examples of the printer’s craft. That opinion is completely out of date. In certain situations, digital print can now surpass litho, while it has many creative and economic aspects that are entirely new.
Back in September 1993, two firms unveiled competing colour presses. Indigo unveiled the E-Print Pro, while Xeikon showed its DCP (digital colour press). Although both make colour marks on paper directly, with no intermediate plate-making step, they differ in the way they make those marks.
Indigo uses a liquid, which it calls ElectroInk. Xeikon uses dry toner – a fine powder – as used in laser printers. The two processes look different on the paper. ElectroInk is a thinner film that takes on the finish of the underlying paper better. Dry toner is a thicker layer that can have a prominent relief; it may also have a different gloss to the paper used.
Today Indigo is part of HP, while Xeikon is one of a number of firms producing dry-toner presses. As digital presses have improved, paper mills, merchants and print-finishing firms have also ensured their products are compatible. Now we’re on the cusp of a couple of technological breakthroughs that will widen the applications of digital print even further.
Firstly, it’s getting bigger. The first B2 digital presses are now available, opening up new possibilities such as A3 and landscape A4 finished products, as well as thread-sewn sections. Secondly, a new process – inkjet – is appearing, which is a fundamentally different way of applying the ink, affecting the print qualities and paper choices.
The three UK firms profiled here use Indigo. Screaming Colour is a London-based firm serving an agency clientele, with bespoke work and a focus on the finer finishing processes. Moo is also London-based, but with a global reach and satellite production in the US. It produces a limited range of products, but does them well and at a good price. Ripe Digital, based in Corsham, sells through social media and its clients includes illustrators and fine artists.