Most people have no idea on how the printing process works, more specifically, what 4 color printing is all about. At best, some infer that it must be a larger version of the inkjet printers that one can usually find at home.

Printing, in fact, is a systematized process where prints run under different processes and consequently units of equipment. The same can be said about 4 color printing.

If you've taken notice of your home printers, you can see how color cartridges use inks such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black. These are the same colors or inks used in commercial printing for four color process printing.

However, there is a world of difference between the industry-standard printing press and the portable pc printers that most are familiar with. While the same colors are used, the process between your home printers and professional print company's own equipment are largely different. More importantly, the quality speaks for itself as printing company's products are always of superior quality and finish.

Volume

Printing presses are highly efficient equipments capable of printing in huge volumes. They are exactly designed to run hundreds of thousands of prints in its normal cycle. This is something your home printer might not be able to withstand, especially with the complexity of certain prints.

Quality

Surely you can see how consistent and picture perfect prints turn out to be when they are processed by commercial printers. Home printers cannot produce high-quality prints all the time since

Versatility

Professional printers give you different options for your print materials. They can be printed on card stock, text stock, book paper and label paper. You can also have semi-gloss, high gloss and photo paper, among so many paper varieties. Other materials for large format printing include vinyl, adhesive backs, canvas and window clings.

At best, your home printers can only accommodate paper stock with a certain thickness. Most of the time too, you can only print business documents which limits you to just that and nothing else.

Economical

Aside from providing quick and easy production of printing plates, 4 color offset is less costly especially with large print orders. Imagine if you had to print hundreds of flyers at home, you'd probably find yourself spending more on quality paper and dozens of ink cartridges.

With commercial 4 color printing, you do not have to undergo all through that hassle. You can print as many as you want without worrying about it. Just send your design or file to your online printer and everything will be taken care of.

The Process

Compared to home-based printers, 4 color printing or full color printing refers to full color range reproduction that uses offset lithographic printing.

Through this the plates containing the image or your design do not directly touch the paper. The design is transferred unto a rubber blanket, which in turn, prints the design unto the paper. The inks are transferred unto the paper sharp, crisp and virtually dirt-free.

Your prints, as a result, don't have unwanted smudges. There also is little room for errors such as areas printed with colors when they shouldn't be. This error is rarely happens as offset printing is made for precision.

Based on the premise that oil and water do not mix, ink rollers only print on the printable areas while water rollers cover the areas where colors need not be present. Thus, inks cannot bleed over areas where water is present.

4 color printing is the preferred choice for quality print projects especially for prints with visually stunning colors and design. Only full color printing provides accurate and detailed reproductions of your original photos. Hence, your design can only come out looking rich and brilliant.

Through 4 color printing, you can have prints with great contrast, making for great image colors and value. Have your designs printed by a professional printing company and have superb print quality you deserve.