Something About Offset Printing Techniques

Offset printing is a kind of printing technique where the inked image is being transferred from a metal plate to an intermediary surface such as a rubber blanket and then finally to the printing surface. This is a very common printing technique used in many print shops for producing high quality documents in large volumes. As compared to other printing techniques, offset printing is more economical and cost effective and requires little maintenance, although, the set up cost is high.

A major advantage of offset printing is that the image can be transferred to various mediums other than paper such as fabric, rubber, metal, wood, and even leather. Its common applications include magazines and newspapers, stationeries and books. There are two kinds of offset printing press:

• Sheet–fed offset printing press: in these presses, the printing is done on single sheets of paper.

• Web-fed offset printing press: in these presses, printing is done on a single but continuous sheet of paper.

Most modern offset presses use the technique of computer to plate rather than the old, traditional technique of computer to film, and this enhances the quality of printing. There are various advantages and disadvantages of offset printing services. The advantages are:

• The printing quality is high and the images are sharp, clean and clear.

• The longevity of the printing plates increases, as there is no contact between the printing surface and the plate.

• This printing method is extremely cheap and hence, widely accepted.

• The ink amount or flow can be controlled and adjusted with screw keys.

However, there are certain disadvantages as well:

• As compared to photogravure or rotogravure printing, the quality of image can be slightly inferior.

• There are chances of the plates becoming sensitive due to chemical oxidation. It can lead to printing on non-image areas.

• Offset printing is time consuming and hence requires more time.

Considering all the pros and cons of this printing technique, we can come to a conclusion that it is still the most popular and widely used printing services adopted by most companies.

Julia Roger - About Author:
For more information on printing, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the offset printing!

Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/technology-articles/something-about-offset-printing-techniques.htm

Related Technology Articles

Related Technology Topics

hvac seattle fr additives laser cuting mobile tips savant av ring cores toroidal cores circulators humidity log carbon tax