[Abridged  from http://www.aaronrussell.co.uk/blog/choosing-the-right-print-process/]

Commercial printers offer a range of different print processes suitable for different types of jobs. Each process has advantages and disadvantages over the others. In this article I look at each of the print processes and examine how they work and what their advantages are.

Lithographic press (litho)
Printing hasn’t really changed a great deal since Gutenburg gave us the printing press in 1468. Technology has allowed modern printing presses to produce millions of copies of a page in a single day, but the principle of applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon paper, thereby transferring an offset of an image, remains the same.

These days a printer creates a set of ‘plates’ which are used to press the image onto paper. There are initial costs involved in creating the plates and setting up the press. This means a litho job can be expensive and take time, but for large print runs it remains the most efficient process and also boasts superior quality and finish.

Pros
Most cost effective for large print runs (500+)ÂÂ
Pint quality
Most flexible in terms of printing stock, inks and finishes
Cons
Long turn around time
Expensive for short print runs

Digital print press
Digital print presses are essentially very big and very fast colour laser printers. They can handle some heavier papers and cards but offer nowhere near as much flexibility as litho print. Digital is good because it is instant. Jobs can be turned around in a day if need be and there are no setup costs which means you pay for what you print.

These days the top of the range digital print presses offer very high quality - almost comparable to a litho print job.

Pros
Most cost effective for small print runs
Print on demand
Very fast turnaround times

Cons
Can only print up to A3 size (though many also have plotters)