Types of Printing Methods: A Complete Guide for Commercial Printers

Every printed product made commercially comes off one of six methods: offset, digital, screen, flexographic, gravure, or letterpress.

The right method for a job depends on five variables: substrate, quantity, color requirements, turnaround, and budget. Most shops mix at least three of these methods to handle their book of work.

This guide walks through each method with the run lengths it suits, the strengths and weaknesses driving method selection, and the consumables that determine quality and cost. Process control standards cited follow the ISO 12647 series, the international standard for graphic technology.

Offset Lithography

Offset is the workhorse of commercial print. The process transfers ink from a metal plate to a rubber blanket, then from the blanket to the substrate.

That intermediate transfer is where offset gets its name and its quality: the blanket conforms to the substrate surface, producing crisp halftone reproduction across a wide range of stocks (coated, uncoated, textured, recycled).

Run-length economics favor offset above the 1,000 to 2,000 piece threshold. Plate and makeready costs are fixed, but per-impression costs are very low, so offset wins on long runs. Sheetfed presses from Heidelberg (Speedmaster), Komori (Lithrone), Manroland (R700), and KBA (Rapida) dominate the commercial market. Plates are produced through computer-to-plate (CTP) workflows, with thermal CTP (830 nm laser) the dominant commercial choice and violet CTP (405 nm laser) used by newspaper and lower-end shops.

ISO 12647-2:2013 specifies process control parameters with target tone-value increase (TVI) values that vary by paper type; in North America these are interpreted via IDEAlliance's GRACoL (CRPC6) and SWOP, and in Europe via Fogra39 (M0 illumination) and Fogra51 (M1 illumination, accounting for optical brightening agents). G7 from IDEAlliance is the prevailing North American gray balance calibration approach. 

For spot color matching outside CMYK, the Pantone Matching System (PMS) is the industry standard, now extended through PantoneLIVE and Pantone Connect for digital workflows. Offset relies on three core consumables: offset printing plates, press blankets, and pressroom chemistry.

Digital Printing

Digital printing covers two distinct technologies: toner-based and inkjet. Both share one defining advantage: no plates, no setup time, and no minimum run length penalty.

Toner-based digital dominates short-run color. HP Indigo uses liquid ElectroInk that transfers through an offset blanket, giving offset-class color, with production models like the Indigo 7K, 12000, and 100K. Canon imagePRESS, Konica Minolta AccurioPress, Xerox iGen and PrimeLink, Xeikon, and Kodak NexPress use dry toner with intermediate or direct transfer. All support variable data printing at 80 to 250 letter-size pages per minute.

Production inkjet (Canon ProStream, HP PageWide Web Press, Kodak Prosper) competes with offset on longer runs of transactional, book, and direct mail work. Drop-on-demand inkjet has closed much of the quality gap on coated inkjet-treated papers, with web speeds reaching 500 to 1,000 feet per minute.

Color management on digital presses uses the same standards as offset: G7 master qualification for gray balance, ISO 12647-7:2016 for digital proofing and ISO 12647-8:2021 for validation printing, and ICC profile workflows that span both offset and digital.

Digital is the method of choice for short runs (under 1,000 pieces), personalized print, on-demand orders, and quick-turn jobs. Its weakness is per-unit cost above the crossover with offset, which depends on format and color count but typically lands between 500 and 2,000 pieces.

Screen Printing

Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil onto the substrate. It is the method for printing on non-paper substrates: textiles, plastics, glass, ceramics, metal, and electronics.

The defining quality is ink layer thickness. Screen lays down a heavier ink film than any other commercial method (10 to 30 microns typical, 80 to 100 microns on high-density work, versus 1 to 2 microns for offset), producing saturated color on dark substrates and durable apparel and signage prints. Garment shops typically run on M&R or Anatol presses with conveyor dryers at 320 to 350 degrees F for plastisol cure.

Mesh count drives detail and ink deposit. Standard apparel work runs 110 to 230 threads per inch, with finer halftone work going up to 305. Stencil thickness on emulsion or capillary film typically ranges from 12 to 100 microns. Process control parameters are specified in ISO 12647-5:2015.

Run lengths suit screen from 50 pieces to tens of thousands. Setup time per color is higher than digital, but per-impression costs stay low. Consumable cost drivers are mesh, emulsion, squeegees, and inks. For shop supply standards, see PSD's screen printing supplies collection. For ink lines, the Spinks ink range covers most commercial screen applications.

Flexographic Printing

Flexography (flex-uh-GRAH-fee, usually shortened to flexo) is rotary printing using flexible photopolymer relief plates. It is the dominant method for packaging: corrugated boxes, flexible film, labels, and folding cartons.

Flexo presses run web-fed (continuous roll), at speeds up to 2,000 feet per minute (610 meters per minute) on modern equipment. Mark Andy, Bobst, Comexi, and Nilpeter are major label-press makers; for corrugated, Bobst and Goepfert dominate.

Plates wrap around a rotating cylinder, ink transfers from an anilox roll (a precision-engraved metering roller with cells specified in lines per inch, typically 300 to 1,200 LPI, and cell volume in BCM, typically 1 to 10 BCM) to the plate, then to the substrate. UV-curable inks dominate label flexo; water-based inks dominate corrugated; solvent-based inks are still used in flexible film, though most converters are transitioning to water and UV.

Plate technology has improved dramatically. Solvent-washable photopolymer plates remain standard, but thermal and water-washable systems are now mature alternatives that eliminate VOC-heavy plate processing. The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) publishes the FIRST (Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications and Tolerances) standard for color and quality control. ISO 12647-6:2020 specifies process control parameters using hue angle targets for solid ink color (unlike offset, which uses solid ink density).

Run lengths suit flexo from a few thousand impressions up to millions. Plate making is a specialized process with its own chemistry. See PSD's flexo plate chemistry range for related consumables.

Gravure Printing

Gravure (or rotogravure) uses an engraved copper cylinder to transfer ink directly to the substrate. The image is etched into the cylinder surface as a pattern of tiny cells; ink fills the cells, a doctor blade wipes the surface clean, and the substrate pulls ink out under pressure.

Cell engraving uses one of three methods: electromechanical engraving with diamond styluses (most common), laser engraving on copper or ceramic-coated cylinders (used for high-resolution work), or chemical etching (older, less common today).

Gravure produces the highest-quality long-run images of any commercial method. It dominates premium magazine printing, high-end packaging (snack food bags, tobacco), and security printing (banknotes). Cerutti and Bobst dominate the gravure press market. Process control for publication gravure is specified in ISO 12647-4:2014.

Cost structure is unusual: cylinder engraving runs thousands of dollars per cylinder, but per-impression costs are very low. Gravure makes economic sense above 500,000 impressions, sometimes lower for packaging where cylinder reuse spans multiple jobs.

The trade-off versus flexo is cost vs. quality at scale. Flexo is faster to set up and cheaper for short and medium runs; gravure is the choice when the run is long enough and the quality requirement is high enough.

Letterpress Printing

Letterpress is the original printing method. Relief type or photopolymer plates press into the substrate under pressure, depositing ink and creating a tactile impression.

Modern letterpress is a craft and premium-stationery method. Wedding invitations, business cards on heavy cotton stock, fine-art editions, and craft packaging are typical jobs.

Vandercook proofing presses and Heidelberg Windmills (with photopolymer plates) are the workhorses of contemporary letterpress shops. Run lengths range from 50 to 5,000 pieces; longer runs become uneconomical compared to digital or offset.

The defining quality is the impression itself, measured in thousandths of an inch (mils): kiss impression at 1 to 2 mils, deep tactile impression at 5 to 15 mils. Cotton, linen, and heavy uncoated stocks (Crane's Lettra, Mohawk Superfine, Reich Savoy, Neenah Classic Crest) hold deep impressions best.

Comparing the Methods at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Method for Your Job

The decision usually starts with quantity and substrate.

Quantity under 500 with a paper substrate points to digital toner. Quantity 500 to several hundred thousand on paper points to offset. Wide-format or transactional with variable data points to industrial inkjet.

Garments and apparel point to screen. Packaging, especially flexible packaging and corrugated, points to flexography. Highest-volume magazines and packaging point to gravure. Premium tactile finish points to letterpress.

Two secondary considerations adjust those defaults: turnaround pressure (digital wins on short runs) and budget (offset wins on per-unit cost above 1,000 to 2,000 pieces).

For most shops, the right answer is not a single method but a combination: digital for short runs and variable data, offset for the bulk of commercial work. Consumables across both worlds, including papers and printing media and carbonless paper, are stocked together at PSD.

Hybrid Workflows: Combining Methods on the Same Job

Real-world print jobs rarely fit a single method cleanly. Hybrid workflows split a project across two or more processes, capturing each method's strength while avoiding weakness.

Wedding invitation suites are the classic example. The main invitation prints on letterpress for tactile impression. The reply card prints on offset for crisp small type. Envelopes get variable-data digital printing for personalized addressing.

Packaging routinely combines flexography and digital. Flexo handles long-run base printing of cartons, labels, or film; digital inkjet adds short-run regional variants, limited edition SKUs, or personalized batches without retooling the flexo press.

Book production splits the same way: offset for long-run text blocks, digital for short-run titles and on-demand backlist. Coordinating consumables across hybrid workflows is exactly the multi-process supply problem PSD is built to support.

Get the Right Method (and Supplies) for Your Job

Choosing the right printing method and the right consumables is what PSD's team has helped customers do since 2010. For pressroom supplies across offset, screen, flexo, and digital workflows (including specialty pressroom chemistry), phone 860-516-6393 or email info@printingsuppliesdirect.com. Free shipping to the contiguous 48 states, most orders ship same- or next-day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most cost-effective method for short runs?

Digital toner. With no plates and no makeready, digital pricing scales linearly from a single piece. The crossover with offset typically lands between 500 and 1,500 pieces depending on format, color count, and substrate; below that, digital wins on cost.

Can you combine printing methods on the same job?

Yes, and it is common. A wedding invitation suite might use letterpress for the main invitation, offset for the response card, and digital for the variable address printing on envelopes. Multi-method projects are normal in shops that handle premium work.

Is digital replacing offset?

Digital has taken the short-run market and continues to grow share. Offset still dominates commercial print at volumes above the digital-offset crossover, especially where color consistency (G7 master qualified shops, ISO 12647-2:2013 compliant) and per-unit economics matter. Both are likely to coexist for the foreseeable future.

What is the best printing method for packaging?

Flexography for most flexible packaging, corrugated, and labels. Gravure for highest-volume premium packaging (snack food, tobacco). Digital inkjet for short-run custom packaging and personalized SKUs. Offset for folding cartons in moderate volumes.