Screen printing
As its name implies, this printing technique relies on a screen, which is a woven piece of fabric. Certain areas of this mesh are coated with a non-permeable material. In the remaining open spaces ink can be pushed through the mesh onto a substrate. The advantage of screen printing is that the surface of the…
Read MoreGravure
Also known as rotogravure, this is a technique in which an image is engraved into a printing cylinder. That cylinder is inked and this ink subsequently transfers to the paper. Gravure is used for high volume work such as newspapers, magazines, and packaging. Gravure is gradually losing market share to offset for publication printing and…
Read MoreDigital printing
Digital printing can be done in various ways. Two technologies dominate the industry: Inkjet – In an inkjet printer the image that needs to be printed is created by small droplets of ink that are propelled from the nozzles of one or more print heads. Inkjet devices can print on a wide range of substrates…
Read MoreFlexo
In flexography the content that needs to be printed is on a relief of a printing plate, which is made from rubber. This plate is inked and that inked image is subsequently transferred to the printing surface. The process can be used to print on paper as well as plastics, metals, cellophane and other materials.…
Read MoreOffset lithography
In offset lithography a printing plate, which is most often made from aluminum, contains an image of the content that needs to be printed. When the plate is inked, only this image part holds ink. That inked image is subsequently transferred (or offset) from the plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing…
Read MorePrinting processes
There are a wide variety of technologies that are used to print stuff. The main industrial printing processes are: Offset lithography Flexography Digital printing (inkjet & xerography) Gravure Screen printing Additional printing techniques were developed for very specific applications. These include flock printing, letterpress, intaglio, pad printing, and thermography. Why a certain job is better…
Read More