Alternatives for Doing Your Own Printing in Color
When you have color printing needs, your first choice is
probably a professional printer. Nowadays, the advancements in
technology have made it possible for you to create print jobs in
color that rival those of professional printers. Depending on
the type of color printing you need, there are essentially two
paths you can take to create your own color masterpieces.
The first option for printing in color from home is to use a
color printer that connects to your desktop or laptop computer.
You first need a computer or access to one. The computer needs
to have printer software. There are numerous applications on the
market that provide templates to help you with printing in
color. These applications are generally inexpensive. You will
also need paper that is designed for printing in color. If you
will be doing a variety of printing in color, a good choice is a
pack of paper that includes various sizes and styles. For
example, paper that works best for color photographs is
generally glossy. On the other hand, if you are planning to
create a brochure, invitations, or business cards, paper that
has a matte finish is probably a better choice.
Finally, you will of course need a printer. The type of printer
you need depends on the type of printing in color you will be
performing. Color laser printers offer the best quality, but
this type of printer is only an absolute necessity when you need
the best quality such as when printing full-color catalogs. For
basic color needs an inkjet printer will do the trick. Be
careful, not all ink jet printers that offer printing in color
are the same. Your best bet is an inkjet printer with 4800 x
1200-dpi. This will enable you to print the best quality. Even
if you don't think you will need such high-quality color
printing, you may need to do so later in the future.
Your second option for doing your own printing in color is to
purchase a commercial printing press. A printing press is the
best option when you want to print large quantities of a project
in color. You may not have considered buying your own printing
press because they are generally very expensive. Brand new
printing presses can be very expensive. The inexpensive option
is to purchase a used printing press. There are a number of ways
that you can find used printing presses. The Internet is a
popular choice because you can conveniently and quickly search
for what you want. You may want to search Ebay, one of the top
shopping resources on the Internet. Other options such as your
local newspaper or auctions are great resources, but you will
need to do a little legwork.
Like using a home printer, you will need a computer to produce
the layout of the document that you want to print in color. When
you are ready to print the document you just need to create your
plates that will act as your printing template. Once you create
your plate you can print as many copies as you need. The only
disadvantage of buying a printing press is that if the machine
malfunctions it may cost you some money to have it repaired.
Regardless of the option you choose, you can accomplish your
personal color printing needs and do so without spending a lot
of money.