Neither process is universally 'better' — the right choice depends almost entirely on your quantity and how colour-critical the job is.
When each process actually wins
Offset printing uses metal plates and wet ink, which makes it the most cost-efficient option once you're ordering in volume — typically 500 units and above. Because plates are made per job, there's a fixed setup cost, but the marginal cost per unit drops sharply as quantity increases.
Digital printing skips the plate-making step entirely. There's no minimum order, proofing is nearly instant, and it supports variable data (unique names, QR codes, or serial numbers per piece). The trade-off is a higher per-unit cost at volume.
As a rule of thumb: choose digital for short runs, personalisation, or fast proofing; choose offset once your order comfortably exceeds a few hundred units and colour consistency across a large batch matters.