This is the question we answer most often, and it has a genuinely simple answer: it depends almost entirely on quantity, and the crossover sits around a thousand pieces.
The difference in one paragraph
Offset transfers ink from metal plates to a rubber blanket to the paper. The plates have to be made for each job, which costs money before a single sheet is printed. Once running, each additional sheet is very cheap. Digital works like a very good office printer, toner or ink straight onto the paper, no plates, no setup. Every sheet costs the same as the one before it.
That is the whole economics. Offset has a high first sheet and a cheap thousandth sheet. Digital has an affordable first sheet and a thousandth sheet that costs exactly the same.
Where the lines cross
| Quantity | Digital | Offset | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | ₹700 | Not viable | Digital |
| 500 | ₹2,000 | ₹4,200 | Digital |
| 1,000 | ₹3,200 | ₹3,400 | Either, we quote both |
| 5,000 | ₹14,500 | ₹7,500 | Offset |
| 10,000 | ₹28,000 | ₹13,000 | Offset |
At five thousand copies offset is roughly half the price. At ten thousand it is less than half. That is why a pamphlet campaign should almost never be printed digitally, and why a hundred invitation inserts should almost never be printed offset.
The things quantity does not decide
Turnaround. Digital can be done the same day. Offset needs four to six working days end to end, one for proofing, one for plates, two to three for printing and finishing. If your function is on Sunday, quantity is no longer the deciding factor.
Exact brand colour. Offset can print a spot colour mixed to an exact Pantone. Digital approximates everything in CMYK. For most work the approximation is fine; for a logo built around a vivid orange or a deep navy it is visibly not.
Variable data. Two hundred ID cards each with a different name and photograph can only be done digitally. Offset prints the same image every time, that is what plates are.
Very short runs. One enlargement, ten certificates, fifty menu cards. Digital, without hesitation.
Three things worth knowing before an offset run
- Print 10% more than you think you need. Coming back for another 500 means paying the plate cost a second time, which is usually more than the extra paper would have been.
- Ask for a paper sample. The same "130gsm art paper" varies noticeably between mills, and it is the biggest single factor in whether the finished piece feels cheap.
- Outline your fonts. A Telugu font that is not on our system will silently substitute, and you will not notice until the plates are made.
The short version
Under 1,000: digital. Over 1,000: offset. Need it tomorrow: digital regardless. Need an exact Pantone: offset regardless. Different name on each copy: digital, no exceptions.
Send us the job, size, pages, paper, quantity, deadline, and we will quote both where it is close, with the plate, paper, printing and finishing itemised so you can see what changes when you change the paper.
