While commercial printing might seem similar to the type of printing you do at home, it couldn’t be more different when it comes to printing technique and overall results. For that reason, understanding the basic principles and processes behind commercial and industrial printing equipment is a great way to get more involved in your business and maximize print quality.

While you might not be familiar with some of the technical aspects of the process, like ink bleeds, the large format printing machine, or EPS files, you’ll quickly understand all the basics of commercial printing with our handy guide. Let’s get started!

What is Commercial and Industrial Printing?

Commercial printing is essential to helping businesses promote their sales, advertise to the community, and reinforce their brand identity. Aside from conventional products like envelopes, postcards, flyers, and brochures, commercial printing can also involve large-format or promotional items like t-shirts, banners, mugs, signs, car wraps, wall graphics, and more. And when you rely on the expertise of an experienced commercial printer to produce your next printed products, you can trust that your business will be promoted effectively with high-quality pieces.

One of the essential things to know about commercial and industrial printing is how it works. While computer screen colour is generally understood based on RGB (Red, Green, Blue), commercial printers use the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) to define colour. CMYK is the commercial printing industry standard for printing because it allows printers to have a high level of colour accuracy. Unlike RGB, an additive colour spectrum used to define light, CMYK is a subtractive colour spectrum used to describe pitch black.

How does that make sense? Well, when you apply maximum colour in RGB (255, 255, 255), it produces white. While this might make sense for digital displays, it’s the opposite when you’re using ink — putting all the colours together will create a dark colour. The CMYK scale is much more helpful since pitch black is defined as maximum inking. 

It’s important to note that when you or your designer are creating designs meant to be printed, you should be rendering the design in CMYK to ensure the spectrum of colour shown will print accurately.

What Types Of Printing Are There?

• Digital Printing. This type of printing is the most common and popular and is excellent for printing small batches while staying cost-effective. It’s also the best option if you’re looking to produce personalized printed material, such as flyers personally addressed to the recipient. However, digital printing can’t offer the same cost advantage as alternatives like offset printing or lithography when it comes to printing larger batches.
• Offset Lithography. Offset printing uses ink instead of toner to produce products like books, posters, stationery, and newspapers for your print job. Aside from plastic, it can also be used to print on almost any surface, all while saving vast amounts of ink! Consider offsetting printing or lithography if you need to print large batches of printed materials with a cost-effective printing method. Smaller quantities are best left to digital printing for cost and time advantages.
• Large Format Printing. Large-format printing is the best option for creating eye-catching signage like banners or window graphics. Products produced with a large-format printing machine are both highly durable and versatile. Whether you need a durable outdoor banner or a vivid indoor mural, this method is worth considering!
• LED UV Printing. This type of printing uses a printer with LED light to print on a specific type of white paper. The process takes about 3 minutes to complete as the image cures. If you’re worried about quality control and want to maintain high efficiency while printing, you’ll love LED UV Printing. It’s both quick and incredibly accurate.

Why Should I Use a Commercial Printing Service?

There are many ways that commercial printing services can establish your brand identity in your community, increase traffic to your business, and improve awareness of your services. Well-produced materials like business cards and brochures will help show potential customers that your business prioritizes quality in every area, especially in the services and products you provide to the community.

And unlike the simplified digital printing process you could do at home, the commercial printing process comes with a guarantee of quality. From the highly experienced designers and producers to the high-tech machines they use, they have a clear advantage over DIY printing — and when you use industrial printing services, you’ll enjoy those advantages too.

Our team at Carbon Graphics Group has spent almost 50 years providing commercial printing services to clients across Edmonton and Calgary. If you’re looking for a full-service printing solution that will leave you highly satisfied, there’s no better person to ask about industrial printing than one of our skilled team members.

How Can I Find Industrial Printing Services For My Business?

If you need industrial printing services to produce materials for your business, you might be wondering about the best way to get the best results. With so many options online, including local and digital companies, it can take time to figure out what to do! 

Aside from determining who you’d like to work with for your prints, it’s also essential to familiarize yourself with the printing options available and decide what’s right for your business.

In most cases, it’s better to go with a local printing company if you want personalized printing services. While large online companies might have limited printing options or exorbitant upcharges on their products, local companies are involved in and dedicated to their community. 

And this shows through every step of the production process. Aside from your printing project getting more care and attention from a local company, you’ll also be able to rely on printers who have built a reputation in your community and have stakes in ensuring your project is a success at every step. After all, your victories are theirs because everyone in the community will see the difference they made for your business.

To find a printing company to help you with your next project, you should start by determining what you’re looking for, such as vinyl banners, and then find a reputable and trusted printing company that provides these products within your community. 

Many printing companies offer complimentary services like free consultations with a project coordinator. You should use these services to ensure that your selected company can adequately meet your printing needs and bring your idea to life.

Commercial and Industrial Printing With Carbon Graphics Group

If you’re looking for a top-quality industrial printing solution for your Edmonton or Calgary business, there’s no need to look any further. Whether you’re looking to produce a small batch of beautiful personalized cards or are looking for bulk printing services, Carbon Graphics Group will prioritize product quality and satisfaction every step of the way. 

If you’re interested in how we can help your business make a lasting impression, contact us today to speak with one of our skilled customer service agents.