5 Types Of Printing Technology
Printing is a procedure for replicating text and pictures utilizing the major or template formats. With the passage of time, the printing industry moves forward to modern technology with the needs of time and printing requirements. There are many types of printing technology which are used for different printing solutions. Each printing procedure has some pros and cons as some are best for low volume printing while some are feasible for large volumes. Here are five significant types of printing methods or machinery:
1. Offset Or Lithography Printing Procedure:
An aluminum printing plate contains a picture of the text which is required to print, in offset or lithography printing procedure. The offset printing was created by Ira Rubel, who was a paper mill possessor in New Jersey, at the start of the 20th century. This printing method is used to print on portable cartons, paper, plastic, cardboard, and other flat surface materials. The most typical use of this technology is to print labels.
Pros and cons:
It has some advantages as it deals with both retail quality and high-quality printing for customer products like boxes for food, cosmetics, and electronic products. It has four color combinations with 1 or 2 PMS colors. High-quality coatings like matt and gloss touch are used for sophisticated superficial values. Along with these advantages, there are also some drawbacks of it as it requires tooling investments, high volumes of printing for optimum pricing, longer lead times and flatted printing surfaces.
2. Digital Printing:
This is the most popular and updated printing method in today's printing industry. In this technology, digital contents are replicated on solid surfaces like paper, cloth, plastic, labels, magnets, cardboard and film or bendable packaging, etc. Digital printers are of two types that is inject printers and xerographic. In Inject printers, the desired printing substance is created through small droplets of ink, while in xerographic which are basically laser printer, image or content that is required to be printed is molded by selectively smearing a charge to a metallic drum.
Pros and cons:
There are many advantages of digital printing method or technology like it require minimum to zero tooling or installation costs, quicker turnaround, low minimums, high print quality. But some disadvantages are also there as large volumes are costly. In digital printing, PMS shades are tough to match, and they could not use metallic inks. It also has a higher per-unit cost. But digital printing process is considered as the superior tool of printing in the printing industry.
3. Screen Printing:
As its title indicates, this printing method counts on a screen, which is a knitted portion of the cloth. Some extents of this network are covered with a non-penetrable substance. In the lingering open places, toner could be strapped by the network on a substrate. This is one of the best multipurpose techniques between all forms of print imitations. Explicit screen printing is accustomed to generate bulky consignments of visuals as advertisements or display standpoints.
Pros and cons:
This technology is most likely used for printing labels, prototypes, folding cartons, and advertising materials. It can also be used to print on promotional items like mugs, caps, and shirts. It has low set up costs and can be used for small volumes as well. Most importantly it does not require a flat surface like lithographic printing techniques. A considerable number of things like timepieces and anniversary cake designs and numerous other merchandise are reproduced by using this screen printing method. Along with many benefits, there are some drawbacks like slower production, human error possibility, no clean finishing and inconvenience for large volume printings.
4. Flexography:
In flexography, the text or image that wishes to be reproduced is on a respite of a printing dish, which is prepared as of rubber. This dish is inked, and that inked copy is successively moved to the reproduction surface. This technology can be accustomed to print on a broadsheet in addition to cellophane, metals, plastics and other things. This is majorly used in packaging prints like standup pouches and corrugated boxes.
Pros and cons:
This method is cost-efficient, faster and can use water and oil-based inks. However, it is lower in printing quality and photo quality printing. It also has troubles with printing smooth color ingredients and registration with four-color process printing works.
5. Gravure Printing:
Gravure Printing is perfect to print first-class and large volume orders. This is a process in which content is craved into a printing tube, and that tube is inked which transfers to paper consequently. Various materials in-printed through using this technique include mail order successions, flyers, publications.
Pros and cons:
This printing technology might be expensive as it practices straight interaction among the paper and the imprinted copper plate. Plastic covers, gift packs, wall covering, vinyl carpeting can be printed through using the Gravure technique. It supports premium quality prints with four color PMS and long-lasting printing cylinders but limited coating options, high investment tooling or installation. It also requires a long time to complete its job and large minimums.
