What is offset printing and how it works?

offset printing, also called offset lithography, or litho-offset, in commercial printing, widely used printing technique in which the inked image on a printing plate is printed on a rubber cylinder and then transferred (i.e., offset) to paper or other material.

What can you print with offset printing?

Newspapers, catalogs, and magazines have been made for years using offset printing. Originally called lithography, offset is the most common printing technique used for commercial jobs. A newspaper being printed using the offset printing process.

Why offset printing is used?

It’s called offset because the ink is not transferred directly onto the paper. Because offset presses run so efficiently once they are set up, offset printing is the best choice when larger quantities are needed, and provides accurate color reproduction, and crisp, clean professional looking printing.

What are the 3 main ingredients in offset ink?

COMPOSITION: ink is made of three main ingredients: Pigment, which is the color- ing material in the ink; Vehicle, which is the liquid that holds the particles of pigment; and Modifiers, which control the drying of the ink as well as other factors such as smell, scuff resistance, and fading.

What are the advantages of offset printing?

Advantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods include: Consistent high image quality. Offset printing produces sharp and clean images and type more easily than, for example, letterpress printing; this is because the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface.

What is the difference between digital and offset printing?

For prospective print customers, the difference between offset printing and digital printing is that digital printing is better suited for short run printing (i.e. starting at 1 single copy) and offset printing is better suited for higher volume printing (i.e. starts being economical 2,000+ identical copies).

Is lithographic and offset printing the same?

Today lithography is generally called Offset or Offset Lithography; both of these terms refer to the same process. In the offset lithography printing process, the image to be printed is rendered or etched onto a flat surface, (the plate) such as a sheet of aluminium, plastic, or zinc.

What is lithographic or offset printing?

Offset printing, also called offset lithography, or litho-offset, in commercial printing, widely used printing technique in which the inked image on a printing plate is printed on a rubber cylinder and then transferred (i.e., offset) to paper or other material.