What is commercial printing? The latest explanation in 2025
Commercial printing refers to providing professional, customized, and large-volume printing services to marketing and advertising companies, enterprises and brands, publishers and self-media people, e-commerce and e-commerce sellers, event and exhibition organizers, government agencies and public utilities, non-profit organizations and social groups, and other buyers with large printing needs.
The main providers of commercial printing are as follows:
- Large commercial printing groups
- Chain quick printing shops and regional processing centers
- Digital printing and online customization platforms
- Professional subdivision factories and customized workshops
Commercial printing VS ordinary printing
Unlike home or personal printing, commercial printing uses industrial-grade equipment - such as offset, digital, flexography, and gravure - to produce various types of printed materials at higher speeds and greater output.
Common products include brochures, product catalogs, direct mail marketing materials, packaging, magazines, annual reports, and large-format advertising logos.
The commercial printing industry in 2025 has the following characteristics.
Digital transformation: The popularization of high-speed digital printing equipment enables on-demand production, short-run customization and variable data printing (VDP) to meet personalized marketing needs.
Environmentally friendly and sustainable: A large number of environmentally friendly papers, plant inks and energy-saving equipment are used to cope with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and customer requirements.
The production and docking process is more convenient and efficient: The full process automation from plate making to post-processing greatly shortens the delivery cycle and reduces human errors. In addition, the cloud-based collaboration platform as a new technology can effectively improve the efficiency of customer review and communication.
New technology, new process: The combination of UV curing, LED irradiation and hybrid printing process can effectively improve the durability and material compatibility of paper-based printed products. It can also directly achieve special printing effects such as gloss coating and embossing during the printing process without additional processing.
The above new changes in the commercial printing industry in 2025 have greatly improved the quality, efficiency and environmental protection of commercial printing, so it has become a new printing solution for enterprises' large-scale printing needs.
Types of commercial printing
1. Offset printing
Uses metal plate + rubber cloth transfer, suitable for large-scale printing (such as brochures, albums, books, etc.), with high color reproduction and unit price decreasing with the print volume, but plate making and machine adjustment take a long time, and the cost of short-run printing is high.
2. Digital printing
Directly output from digital files, no plate making is required, and samples can be quickly obtained. It is suitable for short-run, personalized or variable data printing (such as personalized business cards, short-run flyers). Although the cost per sheet is slightly higher, there is no need for waste and large-scale inventory.
3. Flexo printing (Flexo)
Uses flexible plates to print at high speed on roll materials (plastic films, cartons, labels, etc.), suitable for medium and large-scale packaging and label production, fast speed, wide application, and high front-end layout cost.
4. Gravure printing (Gravure)
Uses gravure cylinders to transfer ink to the substrate, suitable for ultra-large-scale printing (such as packaging films, large magazines). The color is rich and the quality is consistent, but the plate-making cycle is long and the cost is high. It is only suitable for large quantities of more than one million.
5. Screen printing (Screen)
The ink is scraped onto various flat or curved surfaces (paper, cloth, glass, metal, etc.) through the screen. It is commonly used in posters, car stickers, T-shirt printing, light box cloth, etc. The ink layer is thick and weather-resistant, but the cost increases when there are multiple colors and the details are limited.
6. Letterpress/Relief printing (Letterpress/Relief)
The raised surface is directly pressed on the paper, which can present a concave and convex touch. It is mostly used for small-volume needs such as wedding invitations and high-end business cards. The production is exquisite but the efficiency is low and the cost is high. It is only suitable for scenes that pursue a sense of craftsmanship.
7. Large-format printing (Large-format)
Wide-format digital inkjet printing is output to rolls or plates. It can be used for large-scale pictures such as exhibition backgrounds, car body advertisements, outdoor banners, and indoor walls. It has bright colors and good weather resistance, but the resolution is slightly lower than offset printing and is not suitable for high-precision printing.
8. Special processes and value-added printing
Including UV digital (can be directly printed on hard surfaces and do partial relief), thermal sublimation (for photos, polyester fabrics), pad printing (printing on curved objects), variable data (personalized content), hardcover binding and hot stamping, partial UV and other post-processing to meet high-end or personalized needs.
How commercial printing works？
Commercial printing begins in prepress: the designer prepares a high-resolution file and sets the appropriate bleed and color. Then, after the proof is created and approved, an offset plate, digital RIP file, flexo plate, gravure cylinder or screen is produced.
During the printing process, ink is transferred to the substrate:
- Offset presses use a plate → blanket → paper process
- Digital presses print directly from the RIP
- Flexo and gravure operations use fast-drying inks and print on rolls of film or cardboard
- Screen printing applies ink to various surfaces through a stencil
Operators sample the prints to check color and registration and make quick adjustments as needed.
In postpress, the sheets or rolls are dried, cut, folded or bound, and may be varnished or die-cut.
Finally, the products are collated and then go into packaging, inspection and shipping. It is worth noting that digital on-demand printing completely skips the plate stage and can be printed after the buyer approves it. This buying and selling method is very suitable for those who have small batches and personalized printing needs.
