Printing Technologies in brief :Printing Technologies in brief Marty Tentor Ron Frisch Albert Basse Associates


Printing Technologiesorganized by image carriers :Printing Technologiesorganized by image carriers Relief Printing • Letterpress • Letterset (Offset Letterpress) • Flexography • Foil Stamping • Thermography


Relief Printing’s Image Carrier :Relief Printing’s Image Carrier Image area in physically raised from the non-image area. Raised image area receives ink. Plate transferred to substrate or to offset blanket in Letterset.


Slide 4:Planography • Offset Lithography • Collotype • Xerography • E Print (Indigo) Image area is on the same plane as the non-image area. The entire plate receives ink. The ink is chemical/physically attracted to the image area only.


Slide 5:Offset Lithography


Slide 6:Intaglio • Gravure • Line Engraving • Pad Printing Image area is physically below the non-image area. The entire plate receives ink. The non-image area is then wipped clean of ink.


Slide 7:Stencil Printing • Screenprinting Image area is mechanically porous and the non-image area is non-porous The entire screen receives ink. The ink only passes through the porous image area.


Slide 8:Digital Print • Thermal Inkjet • Piezo Inkjet There is no image carrier. The image is store digitally and electronically sent to printing heads. The ink is only deposited where the image requires it.


Slide 9:Printing Technologies Attributes Offset Lithography • High resolution reproduction • Fast printing speeds to 10000 iph • Able to print four color process or spot color • Ink film about 3 microns • Substrates to about .020” thick • Sheetfed or Web (roll fed) • Typical products: brochures, annual reports, magazines, credit cards, forms, catalogs, books, maps


Slide 10:Printing Technologies Attributes Letterpress • Good resolution reproduction • Fast printing speeds to 6000 iph • Able to print four color process or spot color • Able to print highly textured substrates • Substrates to about .050”+ thick • Sheetfed or Web (roll fed) • Typical products: business card, invitations, books, newspapers consecutive numbering, forms


Slide 11:Printing Technologies Attributes Flexography • Good resolution reproduction • Fast printing speeds, 300+ fpm • Able to print four color process or spot color • Able to print thick ink film • Substrates to about .050”+ thick • Web (roll fed) • Typical products: packaging, bread bags, tags, labels, newspaper wallpaper


Slide 12:Printing Technologies Attributes Gravure • High quality reproduction • Fast printing speeds to 100??? fpm • Very long runs • Expensive prepress • Web (roll fed) • Typical products: packaging, gum wrappers, magazines, Formica laminates, flooring laminates, newspaper suppliments, Christmas wrapping paper


Slide 13:Printing Technologies Attributes Screenprinting • Good resolution reproduction • Printing speeds to 80 to 4500 iph • Typically shorter runs • No limit to substrate thickness • Thickest ink film to 100 microns • Usually sheet fed, can be web • Typical products: roll textiles, garments decals, labels, circuit boards, instrument panels, rear window defoggers, metal signs, poster, mugs, ski poles, bottles, control panels, fleet graphics, displays, dinning ware


Slide 14:Printing Technologies by Marketshare Offset Lithography 47% Gravure 20% Flexography 18% Letterpress 7% Screen and other Plate Systems 3% Electronic, Inkjet, Non-plate 5% (Data from 1995)


Slide 15:A Printing Work Flow Design Concept Photography Film Imagesetting Electronic Image Assembly Proofing Printing Plate Making Post Press Finishing Distribution Scanning and Image Manipulation


Planning :• Type of product • Budgets • Ad Agency • Quality • Quantity • Develop Specifications Planning


Design :• Design Studio • In-House Designer • Number of Color • Substrate • Size • Pre Press File Type • Special Requirements • Copy Design


Prepress :• Proofing • Trapping as required • Scanning • Image Imposition • Special Color Matching • Film Making • Plate Making Prepress


Production :• Printing • Ink Preparation Production


Distribution :• Newspaper Delivery • Packing with Other Items • USPS • Logistic Distribution


Job Titles in Printing :• Sales • Customer Service Rep. • Estimating • Print Production • Prepress Operator • Color Matcher • Bindery Operator • Shipping/Receiving Job Titles in Printing