What is the Printing Process of a Letterpress, Screen printing, Offset, and Flexography?

Putting images, shapes, patterns, designs on the paper require a change in methodology when a difference in the material occurs. There are many methods like printing process offset lithography, digital, and other printing styles that shine out as trusted processes in the market. These styles have shown their worth time and time again.

Need for different types of printing

With the increase in the kinds of merchandises that are created for the people, there comes a need to have new printing techniques as well. Not every product can be printed using a single printing machine. The change of product material, surface design, material thickness, and other things play a significant role in the selection of the right printing method. Some of the techniques have made their mark in the industry over the years. Printing process offset lithography, screen, digital, letter, and flexo printing are used by the industrialists to print their products.

Flexo printing

To print the required image on the printing surface, a 3D relief is used. As the comfort or plate is made out of either rubber or polymer, it is easier to cut out the shapes easily. To make these plates, there are two processes, namely analog and digital. Anyone of them can be used to make the desired stamps that are raised in certain areas to form a shape that can later create the image. This machine has an ink tank which contains an ink roll. It is a mandatory part of the process as the relief is soaked in ink by their use. The next step in flexography is the use of meter rolls. These rolls have little cups on them which are filled with a specific amount of ink. These wells or containers are approximately thousands in numbers, and they ensure even thickness and fast speed of printing. The amount of ink should be appropriately managed so that smudging or lumping can be avoided. If an excessive amount is poured by chance than a doctor blade is installed in the machine to remove it from the printing plate. Finally, the paper is pressed between the plates and the impression roll to print the image on it.

Printing by pressing letters

It is one of the oldest ways of printing that is still used in the markets. As the name represents, letterpress uses a block of wood or metal for printing purpose. That block is carved in the shape of a letter, number, symbol, pattern or design. A movable compositor is usually made with the desired letters raised on the surface. Once the block is ready, and its quality has been approved. It is ready to be dipped in color. The ink used in for this type of printing is liquid, so the box is soaked in it thoroughly for every inch of it to get enriched with the color. If any corner or point of the shape is left unattended, then the pattern created on the surface will look messy and out of way. This process is mostly combined with digital printing to create different products like cards, gift boxes, and embossed logo surfaces.

There are a considerable number of materials that can be designed by using this printing technique. Fabric, wood, and paper are the most commonly used product materials. Once the ink is applied on the block, it is put on the surface and pressed firmly for the print to be applied correctly on the paper. The large format of these machines makes the printing on large surfaces possible with less effort.

Serigraphy

Serigraphy or commonly known as screen printing is an old technique that has kept its footing the market over the years. First sent into the market in the late years of 900’s, this type of printing sustained its position by being pure in use and ease on the budgeting. Two things mesh and squeegee are used in this type of page. A mesh is a rectangular frame that has a stencil placed in the middle of the wall in a horizontal shape. Shapes of different yet desired type are carved in the sheet. The forms can be an outline of an alphabet, a string of letters, design of a logo, or anything that should be printing on the surface of the box.

After placing the printing material under the stencil, the colored ink is poured on the stencil and spread around evenly with the use of a squeegee. The watercolor reaches all the parts of the material being printed except that one that is not permitted by the stencil shape and design.

Offset printing

Transferring the ink to the paper has always been done by the use of printing process offset lithography. 3D printing rolls are used as printing plates with impressions on them. This is even processed consists of ink flowing from the plates to offset cylinders and finally on the paper that is running on the impression roll. It is advanced over time by using led UV. This dries the ink faster and improves the quality of the print.

I am a professional and also a student of BSC. I studying in Chicago's Public Research University. I have an interest in designing art and more things.