Offset Press Printing
The Offset Press Printing Process and Advantages
Offset press printing refers to the method of mass producing print materials. Offset printing is usually used to print large volumes of catalogs, books, magazines, brochures, and the like. Read on to understand further the process and advantages of offset printing.
Process of Offset Printing
The traditional offset printing process follows a lithographic process which involves etching or burning the image to be printed on a metallic plate. It is then inked and the image is “offset” or transferred to an elastic blanket (rubber), and then onto the substrate (medium/paper). Since ink and water don’t mix, the image to be printed gets ink from ink rollers while theblank areas attract water from water rollers to keep themselves blank.
The modern offset printing process functions using the same basic principles except for the Computer-to-Plate (CTP) technology. This technology makes use of a desktop publishing application to create an image on printing plates with registry precision – getting accurate colors from the CMYK-generated computer screen.
The modern offset press typically has the same components as the conventional offset printer. It is equipped with metal plates, rubber blankets, offset and plate cylinders, and ink rollers. From the ink rollers, ink is transferred to the metal plate, onto the rubber blanket. The image on the rubber blanket is pressed against the medium (paper) then moved through an oven to dry. When they’re dry, the prints go through chill rollers to prevent the ink from smudging.
Advantages of Offset Press Printing
Every printing process has its own edge depending on the specifications of a printing job. Here are the advantages of offset printing:
• High Image Quality – Offset press printing produces consistent printouts no matter the number of copies in a job order. This is primarily because it doesn’t use heat to infuse ink to the substrate.
• Wide Range of Substrate – Offset press works on a wide array of media including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper, and plastic. This makes offset printing ideal for different marketing materials.
• High Volume Cost Effectiveness – In offset printing, you save more as the quantity goes up. This is because plates need to be etched with the image only once and after that, you can reproduce as many as you like.
Choose the right printing process for your project by defining the quantity of prints that you need and the kind of substrate and finishing. Use these guidelines to better judge if offset press printing fits your printing needs. Call your printing service provider for more information on their printing procedures.
Process of Offset Printing
The traditional offset printing process follows a lithographic process which involves etching or burning the image to be printed on a metallic plate. It is then inked and the image is “offset” or transferred to an elastic blanket (rubber), and then onto the substrate (medium/paper). Since ink and water don’t mix, the image to be printed gets ink from ink rollers while theblank areas attract water from water rollers to keep themselves blank.
The modern offset printing process functions using the same basic principles except for the Computer-to-Plate (CTP) technology. This technology makes use of a desktop publishing application to create an image on printing plates with registry precision – getting accurate colors from the CMYK-generated computer screen.
The modern offset press typically has the same components as the conventional offset printer. It is equipped with metal plates, rubber blankets, offset and plate cylinders, and ink rollers. From the ink rollers, ink is transferred to the metal plate, onto the rubber blanket. The image on the rubber blanket is pressed against the medium (paper) then moved through an oven to dry. When they’re dry, the prints go through chill rollers to prevent the ink from smudging.
Advantages of Offset Press Printing
Every printing process has its own edge depending on the specifications of a printing job. Here are the advantages of offset printing:
• High Image Quality – Offset press printing produces consistent printouts no matter the number of copies in a job order. This is primarily because it doesn’t use heat to infuse ink to the substrate.
• Wide Range of Substrate – Offset press works on a wide array of media including paper, wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper, and plastic. This makes offset printing ideal for different marketing materials.
• High Volume Cost Effectiveness – In offset printing, you save more as the quantity goes up. This is because plates need to be etched with the image only once and after that, you can reproduce as many as you like.
Choose the right printing process for your project by defining the quantity of prints that you need and the kind of substrate and finishing. Use these guidelines to better judge if offset press printing fits your printing needs. Call your printing service provider for more information on their printing procedures.
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