KNOWLEDGE SHARING - Offset Printing Technology
Uploaded by
Sachin KothariKNOWLEDGE SHARING - Offset Printing Technology
Uploaded by
Sachin KothariKNOWLEDGE
SHARING
OFFSET PRINTING
TECHNOLOGY &
APPLICATION
DEFINITION AND PRINCIPLE OF OFFSET TECHNOLOGY
Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is
transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing
surface. Ink rollers transfer ink to the image areas of the image carrier, while a
water roller applies a water-based film to the non-image areas.
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PRINCIPLE: /watch?v=pNZb7CXUjs0
Offset lithography operates on a simple principle: ink and water don't mix.
The oil-based ink adheres to the image area, the water to the non-image area. The
inked area is then transferred to a rubber cylinder or "blanket" and then onto the
paper as it passes around the blanket.
Component of Printing machines:
• Sheet Feeder unit
• Printing Unit
• Inking Unit
• Dampening unit
• Plate cylinder
• Blanket cylinder
• Impression cylinder
• Stacking tray
DETAIL OF OFFSET PRINTING UNIT
Inking and tray rollers: set of inking tray and inking
roller, normally set & combination for metal and rubber
rollers for ink metering. Generally comes in set of 16 to
22 rollers
Inking systems: ink forming rollers for ink transferring
onto plate, comes in set of 3 to 5 rollers.
Dampening rollers: system that transfers a water-based
fountain solution to the printing plate as a means of
making non-image areas ink repellent.
Plate cylinder: to which a plate is attached and which
transfers the inked image to either a rubber blanket
Blanket cylinder: A rubber blanket to which the inked
image is transferred from the plate, and which then
transfers the inked image to the paper or other substrate.
Impression cylinder: provides a hard backing which
allows the blanket to press a strong, solid impression on
the paper.
TYPES OF OFFSET PRINTING MACHINES
• SHEET FED OFFSET
• WEB FED OFFSET
• PERFECTING WEB FED OFFSET
IMAGE CARRIER IN OFFSET PRINTING
Printing plates are usually made from metal, plastic, rubber, paper, and other
materials. ... The offset printing plates used in offset printing are thin (up to
about 0.3 mm), and easy to mount on the plate cylinder, and they mostly have a
mono-metal (aluminum) or, less often, multimetal, plastic or paper
construction
The imaging, ink-accepting coating (light-sensitive coating, thickness around
1μm) is applied to the base material. This material is usually a polymer, or copper
in the case of multimetal plates (bi-metal plates). Light sensitive, diazo (photo-
polymer) pre-coated aluminum printing plates are now the predominant plates in
print shops. The image transfer is produced via the different properties on the
surface of such plates after they have been exposed and developed. The remains
of the original light-sensitive coating or the light-sensitive coating changed by the
effect of light are the ink-accepting (oleophilic) elements that create the image.
There are two types of photochemical reactions when developing the printing
plate:
• hardening of the light-sensitive layer by light (negative plate-making),
• decomposition of the light-sensitive layer by light (positive plate-making).
OFFSET INKS
Offset ink is a specific type of ink used in conjunction with offset printing presses such
as those used to produce letterpress or lithography prints. Such ink must be specially
formulated to resist other chemicals it will come in contact with on the printing press.
It is crucial that offset ink resist water-in-ink emulsification
offset lithography ink consists of three substances:
•The ink vehicle is the fluid part of the ink that transports the pigment onto the
substrate. This is typically an oil based material.
•The pigment is the part of the ink that imparts gloss, color, texture, and other
characteristics to the printed image.
• Various additives influence the characteristics of the ink. Driers speed up the drying
of inks. Bodying agents increase the viscosity. Waxes help prevent printing defects like ink
setoff and blocking and they increase the scuff resistance of the ink.
Web offset inks tend to be more fluid and have less tack than sheet fed lithographic inks.
Most offset inks dry rapidly without the need for additional equipment, but there are also
inks optimized for infrared, ultraviolet or electron beam curing.
OFFSET PRINTING ON SYNTHETIC PAPER AND PP SHEETS
Printing on plastic yields a unique and striking product, in part because we expect to see offset printing on paper rather
than plastic, While printing on plastic (such as a synthetic paper substrate or even a clear plastic sheet), there are some
things to keep in mind.
• First of all, paper is porous, but plastic is not, ink printed on plastic must dry exclusively by oxidation (a chemical
reaction between oxygen and the ink). This can take significantly longer than drying by absorption into the paper
fibers (i.e., several days or more).
• If you were to fold or trim the printed product too early, the wet inks will smear.
• UV inks can be formulated that will cure (or polymerize, rather than dry) when exposed to UV light. This chemical
process occurs instantly, and it allows you to print on non-porous materials such as plastic and various films
• Beyond the drying issue, printing on plastics usually requires that a base of opaque white ink be laid down under
the 4-color process inks.
The following are recommendations that will help in processing plastic films with offset
printing:
• be 100% solids
• have high color strength
• dry by oxidation only
• have variable tack--descending from first color down
FEATURES AND APPLICATION OF OFFSET PRINTING
Consistent high image quality. Offset printing produces sharp and clean images
Quick and easy production of printing plates.
Longer printing plate life than on direct lithographic presses because there is no direct contact between the
plate and the printing surface. Properly developed plates used with optimized inks and fountain solution may
achieve run lengths of more than a million impressions.
Cost. Offset printing is the cheapest method for producing high quality prints in commercial printing quantities.
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 may now use offset machines.
APPLICATIONS
• Packaging specially rigid and carton packaging
• Printing publication
• Newspaper
• Book printing
• Metallic cans
• Labels
COM
Comparison Offset Flexography Gravure
Ink transfer technology Planographic Letter press and Relief Intaglio or recessed
Substrates Paper and few polymer For all kinds of substrates For all kinds of substrates
films
Ink Oil based paste inks; UV Solvent or water based Solvent or based liquid inks
& EB inks liquid inks; UV inks
Major application Print and publications Flexible packaging Flexible packaging
Cost Cheapest on paper Cheapest in polymer films Cheapest in bulk
production
Resolution Lower than gravure but Lower resolution Very high
better than flexo
Line Speed 500 MTR/ MIN. 500 MTR/ MIN. 450 MTR/ MIN.
Feeding system Sheet fed as well web fed Sheet fed as well as web feb Only web fed
Maximum no. of colour 05 10 10
station
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