The short answer: digital printing pays off on small runs and tests, offset — on runs from several hundred copies upwards. The boundary is defined by make-ready economics: offset has one-off costs for preparing the press for a run, but every subsequent unit is significantly cheaper. Digital has minimal make-ready, but the unit price barely falls as the run grows.
What the fundamental difference is
Offset printing transfers ink through printing plates — making them and setting up the press takes time and materials; that is the make-ready. Digital printing works without plates: the file is sent to the machine like to a printer — so the first copy costs almost the same as the hundredth.
Pergament runs both departments: two heavy-class, highly automated German offset presses for board (4+coater and 4+0) and a digital department with press-class machines whose quality and speed approach offset. That is why we do not push one technology — we cost both configurations in PSystem and show you which one wins for your run.
Comparison table
| Criterion | Digital printing | Offset printing |
|---|---|---|
| Optimal run | from single copies to a few hundred | from a few hundred upwards |
| Make-ready | minimal | one-off, spread across the run |
| Unit price as the run grows | almost unchanged | falls noticeably |
| Launch time | the fastest | longer, due to plate preparation |
| Test and trial batches | the ideal option | impractical |
| Colour stability on long runs | good | benchmark, sheet to sheet |
| Typical use | samples, short series, urgent reprints | main packaging runs |
How the choice is made in practice
Our clients’ working pattern is combined. The test batch is printed in the digital department: you get boxes as close as possible to the production ones, check the design on the shelf, show samples to buyers. After approval, the main run goes to offset — at the minimum unit price. Thanks to the order’s technological passport in PSystem, a repeat run is reproduced identically to the first: the same materials, the same settings, the same colour.
What this means for your budget
There is no cheap or expensive technology — only a wrongly chosen one. A small run on offset overpays for make-ready; a large run on digital overpays on every unit. Send us your box parameters — we will cost both configurations in PSystem (material, finishing, run size) and show you the calculation before the order is launched. And we will make a construction prototype on the plotter in about 30 minutes. Request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
From what run size does offset pay off?
The benchmark is from several hundred copies, but the exact boundary depends on the box format, board and finishing. We cost both configurations in PSystem and show you the comparison before launch.
Can we print a trial batch before a large run?
Yes, it is standard practice: a small test run with the design in full colour is printed in the digital department, and the main run goes offset after the samples are approved.
Will a repeat run be the same as the first?
Yes: every order at Pergament has a complete technological passport in PSystem — the materials, settings and operations of a repeat run are reproduced identically.
