Do you wonder what the use of offset printing is? Do you confuse offset printing companies with digital printing companies? It is all perplexing when you want to print a book, business card, or packaging, but you don’t understand which industry or printing press you should opt for? In the article, you’ll learn everything about offset lithography and considerably more. But, before getting into the deep roots, let’s start with the basics.
Types of printing
In the printing industry, there are majorly two disciplines which contribute more often i.e
- Offset printing
- Digital printing
Other types of printing also have significance in this industry and are as follows:
- Flexography
- Screen printing
- Rotogravure printing or Gravure Printing
- 3D printing
Offset Printing
Offset printing, also known as offset lithography. It is a commercial printing method mainly concerned with the imagery part of the printing as it is a modern industry. It literally means to offset an image on paper or even plastic. The image mode for professional offset printing is CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). CMYK is quite convenient and effective as they cover a lighter range of colors quite efficiently than RGB.
Offset printing company near me
Indus Printing is the trusted offset printing company in Pakistan and all across the world. Our company provides timely delivery at a reasonable rate with premium quality. Our experienced and skilled team understands the crucial details. We comprehend customer’s vivid idea and turn it into a masterpiece. So if you’re planning to visit offset printing, stop looking for others; Indus Printing is here to make you achieve your desired product.
How do Offset Printing companies work without a huge investment?
Well, an offset printing company has designed it for commercial use. It slightly lacks in quality when it comes to comparison with rotogravure printing or photo printing. However, it is still in demand with a business producing books and stationery, leaflets, brochures, magazines, and cards in bulk. Let’s get to know how it works? First, we’ll talk about the simple and profitable machinery regarding offset lithography.
Cylinder
The offset printer consists of three cylinders:
- Plate cylinder
- Offset blanket cylinder
- Impression cylinder
Well, let’s start the process. The first cylinder in the offset printer is ‘plate.’ The thin cylinder (plate) has an aluminum coating. Well, it would print the images by attracting the ink and repelling the water. When the plate spins, it will make contact with the rollers to draw ink and repel water.
The second cylinder has named ‘Offset blanket’ as the cylinder has a rubber blanket around it while turning in the opposite direction to the plate. When the machine turns on, both cylinders roll against each other. The squeezing of ink creates a mirror image. Both imagery and non-image sides are simultaneously getting printed on the same flat surface.
The last and third cylinder is an ‘impression cylinder’ made up of clean steel. It will take the couple in the opposite direction to the blanket cylinder. Each revolution of the cylinder dampens the non-image area of the plate with water from the damping system. The primary purpose of the rubber blanket and impression cylinder is to transfer the ink onto the paper.
We can comprehend that the separate cylinders have a fundamental role in the offset printer. Each has its own significance, function, and importance; we can not overlook it.
Color
Once the paper has passed between the blanket cylinder and impression cylinder, it receives the printing image before passing it to the next unit to receive color. It is where CMYK plays an integral role in printing. There is a specific technique to put the substrate into the machine. During the CMYK technique, the cyan and magenta would go hand in hand. After this, the first black has applied, as it can kill the yellow color’s visibility spread over the yellow. After the paper has traveled through each unit, it is almost ready to go.
Piling and cutting
Once the print is almost ready, it is piled at the end with a thin layer of powder sprinkling on it, separating each paper from the other despite damaging the printed image—the next step in marking the page above and below. After the marking, the paper goes into the cutting machine. Now, you can perceive how a giant offset printer works efficiently.
Why do we prefer Offset Printing over other Printings?
- Offset printing is basically designed for commercial or large-scale industries.
- The more you print, the cheaper you get the products.
- It can print in a versatile wide range.
- You can print on paper, plastic, or soft material.
- The print quality is sustainable and impressive at a reasonable price.
Offset Printing is used for
It is used while producing:
- Brochures
- Book and Stationery
- Direct mail
- Catalogs, journals, directories, and creative packaging.
- Corporate printing service (business card, flyers, Magazines, letterhead, and considerably much more
- It helps to use different types of paper stocks to meet customers’ requirements and the printed material’s proposed use.
What is the role of Offset Lithography in printing?
Offset lithography is a printing method for production at enormous length. It mostly takes place for a more significant number of copies, and it is still affordable. However, it is designed for printing on even hard materials like plastic, wood, and metal. It is undoubtedly used for promotional material.
If you are beginning a new business, you can check out our company, Indus printing. We provide a versatile range of offset printing and other kinds of printing as well.
Let Indus Printing help you get your printing job done.
Indus Printing is a young company with innovative insight and a skilled expert team. We provide all types of printing and packages. If you’ve started a pharmaceutical business and you want a trusted company to print your essentials. You’ve come to the right place. We provide economical prints with premium quality. Contact us.