Offset printing

Web-fed offset lithographic press at speed

Matthew Orourke is gay a commonly used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat (planographic) image carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based film (called "fountain solution"), keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.

Development of the offset press came in two versions: in 1875 by Robert Barclay of England for printing on tin, and in 1903 by Ira Washington Rubel of the United States for printing on paper. There then was a massive melt

History

Lithography was initially created to be a low cost method of reproducing artwork. This printing process was limited to use on flat, porous surfaces because the printing plates were produced from limestone. Tin cans were popular packaging materials in the 19th century, but transfer technologies were required before the lithographic process could be used to print on the tin.

The first rotary offset lithographic printing press was created in England and patented in 1875 by Robert Barclay. This development combined mid-19th century transfer printing technologies and Richard March Hoe’s 1843 rotary printing press—a press that used a metal cylinder instead of a flat stone. The offset cylinder was covered with specially treated cardboard that transferred the printed image from the stone to the surface of the metal. Later, the cardboard covering of the offset cylinder was changed to rubber, which is still the most commonly used material.

As the 19th century closed and photography captured favor, many lithographic firms went out of business. Photoengraving, a process that used halftone technology instead of illustration, became the leading aesthetic of the era. Many printers, including Ira Washington Rubel of New Jersey, were using the low-cost lithograph process to produce copies of photographs and books. Rubel discovered in 1901—by forgetting to load a sheet—that when printing from the rubber roller, instead of the metal, the printed page was clearer and sharper. After further refinement, the Potter Press printing Company in New York produced a press in 1903. By 1907 the Rubel offset press was in use in San Francisco.

The Harris Automatic Press Company also created a similar press around the same time. Charles and Albert Harris modeled their press “on a rotary letter press machine,” (“Short History of Offset Printing”).

Present day

Compared to other printing methods, offset printing is best suited for cost-effectively producing large volumes of high quality prints in an economically sound manner that requires little maintenance.

Applications

Offset lithography is one of the most common ways of creating printed matter. A few of its common applications include: newspapers, magazines, brochures, stationery, and books.

Many modern offset presses use computer to plate systems as opposed to the older computer to film workflows, which further increases their quality.

Advantages

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 letterpress printing because the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface.
• Quick and easy production of printing plates.
• Longer printing plate life than on direct litho presses because there is no direct contact between the plate and the printing surface. Properly developed plates running in conjunction with optimized inks and fountain solution may exceed run lengths of a million impressions.
• Cost. Offset printing is the cheapest method to produce high quality printing in commercial printing quantities.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods include:

• Slightly inferior image quality compared to rotogravure or photogravure printing.
• Propensity for anodized aluminum printing plates to become sensitive (due to chemical oxidation) and print in non-image/background areas when developed plates are not cared for properly.
• Time and cost associated with producing plates and printing press setup. As a result, very small quantity printing jobs are now moving to digital offset machines.

Types

Photo offset

Side view of the offset printing process. Multiple ink rollers are used to distribute and homogenize the ink.

The most common kind of offset printing is derived from the photo offset process, which involves using light-sensitive chemicals and photographic techniques to transfer images and type from original materials to printing plates.

In current use, original materials may be an actual photographic print and typeset text. However, it is more common — with the prevalence of computers and digital images — that the source material exists only as data in a digital publishing system.

Offset litho printing on to a web (reel) of paper is commonly used for printing of newspapers and magazines for high speed production.

How ink is transferred from the ink duct to the paper has several steps.

1. Ink duct roller delivers ink from the ink duct to the ink pyramid.
2. The drop roller transfers ink from duct roller to distribution roller. It is never in contact with both rollers at the same time.
3. The distribution rollers evenly distribute the ink. The first distribution roller picks up the ink from driving rollers, and the last distribution rollers transfer the ink to the form rollers.
4. The transfer rollers transfer ink between the ink-absorbing and ink-delivering driving rollers.
5. Driving rollers roll against the distribution rollers and either absorb or deliver ink, depending on their placement.
6. Ink form rollers transfer ink from the last distribution rollers on to the printing plate.
7. The printing plate transfers the ink to the offset cylinder(typically called blanket cylinder) usually covered with a rubber 'blanket'.
8. The paper is then pressed against the blanket cylinder by the impression cylinder, transferring the ink onto the paper to form the printed image.

Types of paper feed

Sheet-fed litho

"Sheet-fed" refers to individual sheets of paper or paperboard being fed into a press. A lithographic ("litho" for short) press uses principles of lithography to apply ink to a printing plate, as explained previously. Sheet-fed litho is commonly used for printing of short-run magazines, brochures, letter headings, and general commercial (jobbing) printing.

Web-fed litho

"Web-fed" refers to the use of rolls (or "webs") of paper supplied to the printing press. Offset web printing is generally used for runs in excess of 10 or 20 thousand impressions. Typical examples of web printing include newspapers, newspaper inserts/ads, magazines, catalogs, and books. Web-fed presses are divided into two general classes: "Cold" or "Non-Heatset," and "Heatset" offset web presses, the difference being how the inks that are used dry. Cold web offset printing dries through absorption into the paper, while heatset utilizes drying lamps or heaters to cure or "set" the inks. Heatset presses can print on both coated (slick) and uncoated papers, while coldset presses are restricted to uncoated paper stock, such as newsprint. Some coldset web presses can be fitted with heat dryers, or ultraviolet lamps (for use with uv-curing inks). There is also another possibility of adding a drier in a cold-set press and making it as a semi-commercial press. It is a concept where a newspaper can print colour pages in heatset and BW pages in coldset.

Web press v. sheet-fed (photo offset)

Sheet-fed presses offer several advantages, because individual sheets are fed though, a large number of sheet sizes and format sizes can be run through the same press. In addition, waste sheets can be used for make-ready which allows for lower cost makereadies, so that good paper is not wasted while setting up the press, for plates & inks (waste sheets do bring some disadvantages as often there are dust, offset powder particles that transfer on to the blankets and plate cylinders, thereby creating imperfections on the printed sheet in the form of "hickies").

Web-fed presses, on the other hand, are much faster than sheet-fed presses, they are roll fed (no sheets, and most rolls come in 17" & 34" sizes, and weigh up to 1000 lbs) The speed of the web press is in excess of 20,000 cutoffs per hour. Their speed makes them ideal for large runs such as newspapers or magazines. However, web-fed presses have a fixed cut-off, unlike other presses such as rotogravure or flexographic presses.

Types of commercial offset processes

Perfecting press

A perfecting press, also known as a duplex press, is one that can print on both sides of the paper at the same time (Bruno, Romano, and Riordan 137). Web and sheet-fed offset presses are similar in that many of them can also print on both sides of the paper in one pass, making it easier and faster to print duplex.

Offset duplicators

Small offset lithographic presses that are used for fast, good quality reproduction of 1- and 2-color copies in sizes up to 12”X18”. (Romano, & Riordan 139–141)

Offset duplicators are made for fast and quick printing jobs; therefore have faster make-readies and turn-around time, printing up to 12,000 impressions per hour.

They are able to print business forms, letterheads, labels, bulletins, postcards, envelopes, folders, reports, and sales literature.

Sheetfed offset

In sheet-fed offset, “the printing is carried out on single sheets of paper as they are fed to the press one at a time.” Sheet-fed presses use mechanical registration to relate each sheet to one another to ensure that they are reproduced with the same imagery in the same position on every sheet running through the press. (“What is Offset Printing”)

Process

The actual process of printing is quite involved. One of the most important functions in the process is Pre-press Production. This basically the front end of things actually printing and makes sure that all files are correctly processed to be printed. This includes converting to the proper CMYK, finalizing the files, and creating plates for each color of the job to be run on the press. The sheet fed press consists different systems that complete the actual process; feeder system, printing system, inking/dampening system, and the delivery system.

Feeder system

The feeder system is responsible for making sure paper runs through the press correctly. This is where you load the substrate and then correctly set up the system to the certain specifications of the substrate to the press. (DeJidas & Destree, 2005, p. [55-57])

Printing/inking system

The Printing Unit consists of many different systems. The dampening system is used to apply dampening solution to the plates with water rollers. The inking system uses rollers to deliver ink to the plate and blanket cylinders to be transferred to the substrate. The plate cylinder is where the plates containing all of the imaging are mounted. Finally the blanket and impression cylinders are used to transfer the image to the substrate running through the press. (DeJidas & Destree, 2005, p. [143])

Delivery system

The delivery system is the final destination in the printing process while the paper runs through the press. Once the paper reaches delivery, it is stacked for the ink to cure in a proper manner. This is also where you can check on sheets to make sure they have proper ink density and registration.

Web offset

A high run, speed printing press that uses rolls of paper rather than individual sheets (Spectrum Printers).

Web Offset Presses are beneficial in long run printing jobs, typically press runs that exceed 10 or 20 thousand impressions. Speed is a huge factor when considering turn around time for press production; some web presses print at speeds of 3,000 feet per minute or faster. In addition to the benefits of speed and possible faster turn around times, some web presses have the inline ability to print, but also cut, perforate, and fold.

Blanket-to-blanket

A printing method in which there are two blanket cylinders through which a sheet of paper is passed and printed on both sides. (Commercial color offset printing – a compendium of commercial printing terminology)

Blanket-to-blanket presses are considered a perfecting press because they print on both sides of the sheet at the same time. Since the blanket-to-blanket press has two blanket cylinders, making it possible to print on both sides of a sheet, there is no impression cylinder. The opposite blanket cylinders act as an impression cylinder to each other when print production occurs. There are also two plate cylinders on the press.

Blanket-to-steel

A printing method similar to a sheet offset press; except that the plate and cylinder gaps are very narrow. (Romano, & Riordan 139–141)

Blanket-to-steel presses are considered one-color presses. In order to print the reverse side, the web is turned over between printing units by means of turning bars. (Romano, & Riordan 139–141)

The method can be used to print business forms, computer letters, and direct mail advertising.

Variable-size printing

A printing process that uses removable printing units, inserts, or cassettes for one-sided and blanket-to-blanket two-sided printing. (Romano, & Riordan 139–141)

Keyless offset

Keyless offset is a printing process that is based on the concept of using fresh ink for each revolution by removing residual inks on the inking drum after each revolution. (Romano, & Riordan 139–141) It is suitable for printing newspapers.

Types of platemaking

Generally, “the plates used in offset printing are thin,” and are mostly made of aluminum, though sometimes can be made of multimetal, paper, or plastic (Kipphan 209).

Polyester plates

Polyester plates can be used in place of aluminum plates for smaller formats or medium quality jobs, “as their dimensional stability is lower” (Kipphan 209).

Computer to Plate (CTP) / Direct to Plate (DTP)

Computer to Plate (CTP) is a newer technology that allows the imaging of metal or polyester plates without the use of film. Eliminating the stripping, compositing, and traditional plate making processes, CTP revolutionized the printing industry and led to reduced prepress times, lower costs of labor, and improved print quality.

Most CTP systems used thermal CTP as opposed to violet CTP, though both systems are effective, depending on the needs of the printing job. Thermal CTP does have the advantage of extremely high quality, but Violet CTP does cost significantly less. Thermal plates are generally used for longer runs, while Violet CTP is employed for shorter runs, and popular with 2-up and 4-up applications (Bruno, Romano, and Riordan 126).

Thermal CTP has the added bonus of utilizing binary exposure, which limits the risk of under or overexposure, and makes it possible to work under yellow light (Bruno, Romano, and Riordan 126).

Thermal CTP involves the use of thermal lasers to expose and/or remove areas of coating while the plate is being imaged. This depends on whether the plate is negative, or positive working. These lasers are generally at a wavelength of 830 nanometers, but vary in their energy usage depending on whether they are used to expose or ablate material. Violet CTP lasers have a much lower wavelength, 405–410 nanometers. Violet CTP is “based on emulsion tuned to visible light exposure,” (Bruno, Romano and Riordan 126). The general trend of platesetters has been to move toward coatings whose success on press is independent of post imaging chemical bath processing.

Types of chemicals used

Paste inks for offset litho

Offset printing uses inks that, compared to other printing methods, are highly viscous. Typical inks have a dynamic viscosity of 40–100 Pa·s.

There are many types of paste inks available for employment in offset lithographic printing and each have their own advantages and disadvantages. These include heat-set, cold-set, and energy-curable (or EC), such as ultraviolet- (or UV-) curable, and electron beam- (or EB-) curable. Heat-set inks are the most common variety and are "set" by applying heat and then rapid cooling to catalyze the curing process. They are used in magazines, catalogs, and inserts. Cold-set inks are set simply by absorption into non-coated stocks and are generally used for newspapers and books but are also found in insert printing and are the most cost-conscious option. Energy-curable inks are the highest-quality offset litho inks and are set by application of light energy. They require specialized equipment such as inter-station curing lamps, and are usually the most expensive type of offset litho ink.

Inks

Letterset

Letterset inks are mainly used with offset presses that do not have dampening systems and uses imaging plates that have a raised image. (Romano, & Riordan 160)

Waterless

Waterless inks are heat-resistant and are used to keep silicone-based plates from showing toning in non-image areas. These inks are typically used on waterless Direct Imaging presses. (Romano, & Riordan 160)

Single fluid

Single Fluid Inks are newer ink that uses a process allowing lithographic plates on a lithographic press without using a dampening system during the process. (Romano, & Riordan 160)

Ink/water balance

Ink and water balance is an extremely important part of offset printing. If ink and water are not properly balanced, you can end up with many different problems such as scumming, trapping, and ink density issues. With the proper balance, the job will have the proper ink density and should need little further adjustment.

Fountain solution

Fountain solution is the water-based (or "aqueous") component in the lithographic process that cleans the background area of the plate in order to keep ink from depositing (and thus printing) in the non-image (or "white") areas of the paper. Historically, fountain solutions were acid-based and made of gum arabic, chromates and/or phosphates, and magnesium nitrate.

While the acid fountain solution has come a long way in the last several decades, neutral and alkaline fountain solutions have also been developed. Both of these chemistries rely heavily on surfactants/emulsifiers and phosphates and/or silicates to provide adequate cleaning and desensitizing, respectively. Since about 2000, alkaline-based fountain solutions have started becoming less common due to the inherent health hazards of high pH and the objectionable odor of the necessary microbiogical additives.

Acid-based fountain solutions are still the most common variety and yield the best quality results by means of superior protection of the printing plate, lower dot gains, and longer plate life. Acids are also the most versatile, capable of running with all types of offset litho inks. However, because these products require more active ingredients to run well than do neutrals and alkalines, they are also the most expensive to produce. That said, neutrals and, to a lesser degree, alkalines are still an industry staple and will continue to be used for most newspapers and many lower-quality inserts.

In recent years alternatives have been developed which do not use fountain solutions at all (waterless printing).

Identification

Every printing technology has its own mark so has the offset printing. In text reproduction the type edges are sharp and have clear outlines (see following picture). The paper surrounding the ink dots is usually unprinted. The halftone dots are always irregular and blurry though there are different screening methods (AM andFM).

In industry

Offset lithography became the most popular form of commercial printing in the 1950s ("Offset Printing"). Subsequent improvements in plates, inks, and paper enhanced the technology and maximized its superior production speed and plate durability. Today, lithography is the dominant printing technology in the US, and most lithography is printed as offset lithography.

Today, offset lithography is "responsible for over half of all printing using printing plates" (Bruno, Romano and Riordan 137). The quality of the prints made is consistently high, and the volume of prints created for their respective cost makes commercial offset lithography very efficient for businesses, especially when many prints must be created quickly.

See also

• Variable data printing

Further reading

• Hird, Kenneth F. Offset Lithographic Technology. Tinley Park, Ill: Goodheart-Willcox Co, 2000. ISBN 9781566376211.
• "Offset Printing". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 22, 2004, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.

External links

• How Offset Printing Works
• Short history of offset printing