Learn more about printing history&techniques&methods
Source:Printing technology
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Author:Apple
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Published time: 2017-07-21
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Modern large-scale printing is typically done using a printing press, while small-scale printing is done free-form with a digital printer. Though paper is the most common material, it is also frequently done on metals, plastics, cloth, and composite materials.On paper it is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.
All printing process are concerned with two kinds of areas on the final output:
- Image Area (printing areas)
- Non-image Area (non-printing areas)
After the information has been prepared for production (the prepress step), each printing process has definitive means of separating the image from the non-image areas.
Conventional printing has four types of process:
- Planographics, in which the printing and non-printing areas are on the same plane surface and the difference between them is maintained chemically or by physical properties, the examples are: offset lithography, collotype, and screenless printing.
- Relief, in which the printing areas are on a plane surface and the non printing areas are below the surface, examples: flexography and letterpress.
- Intaglio, in which the non-printing areas are on a plane surface and the printing area are etched or engraved below the surface, examples: steel die engraving, gravure
- Porous, in which the printing areas are on fine mesh screens through which ink can penetrate, and the non-printing areas are a stencil over the screen to block the flow of ink in those areas, examples: screen printing, stencil duplicator.
Other printing techniques The other significant printing techniques include:
- Flexography, used for packaging, labels, newspapers
- Dye-sublimation printer
- Inkjet, used typically to print a small number of books or packaging, and also to print a variety of materials: from high quality papers simulating offset printing, to floor tiles. Inkjet is also used to apply mailing addresses to direct mail pieces
- Laser printing (toner printing) mainly used in offices and for transactional printing (bills, bank documents). Laser printing is commonly used by direct mail companies to create variable data letters or coupons.
- Pad printing, popular for its unusual ability to print on complex three-dimensional surfaces
- Relief print, mainly used for catalogues
- Screen-printing for a variety of applications ranging from T-shirts to floor tiles, and on uneven surfaces
- Intaglio, used mainly for high value documents such as currencies.
- Thermal printing, popular in the 1990s for fax printing. Used today for printing labels such as airline baggage tags and individual price labels in supermarket deli counters.
