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Digital technology has changed many facets of business and industry today.
Computing and communications technology has allowed companies to revolutionise the
manufacturing process – from producing goods and then hoping to sell them, to just-in-
time production, where products are sold first and then manufactured to order, reducing
waste, inventory and cost. It has also allowed them to produce products more in tune
with individual customer’s needs, moving from mass production to mass customisation.
Computing and communications technology has also allowed companies to gain access
to new markets. No longer are they tied to local markets, but instead can compete in
a global market.
Countless examples exist of how digital technology has changed the face of business
across all industries, from agriculture to information technology. Banks, for instance,
still provide banking and lending services, but have closed branches in favour of ATMs,
and internet and phone banking. The music and entertainment industry has seen the
appearance of CDs, DVDs and game boxes, and the disappearance of LPs and cassettes.
Still photography, video and television broadcasting is transitioning to digital. The way
people communicate now is by mobile phone, facsimile and e-mail – instant
communications to anyone anywhere on the planet.
Digital technology has also dramatically changed the nature of the document – a document
today can still be a sheet of paper or book, but is more likely to be an electronic file,
a spreadsheet, presentation, scanned image, or a clip with video and music. Computers,
desktop publishing applications, digital imaging and printers have allowed millions of
people to create documents on their desktop that used to take a team of people weeks
to develop.
Consumers today are more demanding. They know what they want and they’re not prepared
to wait. It’s no different in their demands for print: high quality, cost effective, and now!
What is digital print?
In simple terms, digital print is where information to be printed is submitted electronically
(ie, in digital form) to the printer, where it is imaged and the printed material produced.
There are numerous digital printing technologies available, including inkjet, electro-
photography with dry or liquid toner, thermal transfer, ionography and magnetography.
Even traditional offset presses with direct imaging (or DI) are promoted as “digital presses”.
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