Variable Data Commercial and Publication Printing: Whats The Difference

When most consumers think of printing, two images come to mind. The gigantic paper-eating machine that stands as a sentry in your company office or the forever ink-thirsty variety that sits in most home offices. They are perfectly capable of printing TPS reports, resumes, or that recipe you always lose. However, there are many types of printing and Ambrose Printing Company is capable of handling them all!

First, there is variable data printing. Variable data printing (VDP) is something you encounter in your daily life. That barcode that you have to hover over your self-checkout kiosk a few times to ping - that’s VDP. Those square QR codes that allow you to scan them from your mobile device is also the product of VDP. Variable data printing is a process that allows for images, text or barcodes to contain information from a database or file in a quickfire fashion. With QR codes becoming increasingly popular with companies building their digital or new media presence, a company capable of producing these with consistency and quality is in high demand.

Another format of printing you encounter often is commercial printing. Business cards, brochures and flyers all fit into the commercial printing category. Generally when art is transferred to paper in a form of advertising or marketing for business, we call that commercial printing. It is a process that uses ink, cylinders and aluminum plates.

One final form of printing is publication printing. This type of printing includes magazines, journals, catalogs, or comic books. You typically come across these whenever you are in a library, bookstore or simply passing a newsstand.

Ambrose Printing Company wants to be your source of information for the Nashville printing market and beyond. Call us with your printing questions and we can give you the answers to best help your business or personal inquiry!