Alternatives for Doing Your Own Printing in Color

By Nicky Pilkington

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.

About the author:
PrintingGraphicDesign.com helps to home and business users with their printing needs, from photographs and business cards to tee-shirts and posters PrintingGraphicDesign.com can help you find the best printing solution.


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