Offset printing is one of the most widely used and adopted processes globally. It is renowned for its extraordinary quality and versatility. This process begins with the creation of a printing plate, usually made of aluminum or copper, on which the image to be reproduced is imprinted. Portions of the image intended for printing are treated to attract ink, while those that are not to be reproduced repel ink. Next, the ink is applied to the printing plate. There is no direct printing on the desired surface but through an additional step involving a cylinder specially coated with rubber. The cylinder then transfers the image onto the paper surface. Offset printing is also referred to as indirect printing. After the ink is transferred to the paper, the printed material goes through a drying process to remove the moisture contained in the ink. This phase is crucial to prevent ink from spreading or smudging the printing area.
Offset printing offers numerous advantages, including extraordinary print quality, the ability to reproduce subtle details impeccably, and superior color rendering. Additionally, it proves highly efficient in large-scale production, making it an economical choice for high-volume printing. However, it is important to note that it requires a significant initial investment, both in terms of time for setting up and preparing printing plates, as well as the costs of the printing facility. The end result will be of high quality. This makes it less suitable for productions with limited timeframes. Offset printing offers a wide range of colors and varnishes that can be used.
Offset printing allows for excellent quality prints, characterized by a wide range of available colors and varnishes. This approach ensures remarkable precision in color control, guaranteeing vibrant results and offering the possibility to create gradients. Offset printing is exclusively suitable for paper products, such as paper and cardboard.
There are no limits to the number of colors that can be applied as it is a full-color printing process.
For offset printing, it is essential to use high-quality inks, otherwise, there is a risk of forming clumps and damaging the printed image. Additionally, extremely accurate preparation of the rollers is required to avoid any errors. In this context, preparation processes take more time compared to other printing techniques.
Offset printing is very efficient in producing voluminous quantities of materials. The initial investment required for preparing plates and optimizing the machine can be amortized over a high number of copies. In this way, it can help reduce the unit cost per each unit.
Offset printing is applicable only to paper materials. Therefore, it can be applied to products such as business cards, packaging, keychains with paper inserts, and a wide range of other products.
For offset printing, it should be noted that the initial setup and preparation of printing plates may take longer than other processes. The initial costs for activating the process are quite high, so it is suitable only for large print runs. This technique can only be applied to paper products and requires flat and smooth printing bases.
