About Printing |
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Printing is more science now today than it is an art form. The process of putting ink on paper has changed greatly in the 20 years, and new developments are occurring all the time. Consumers are demanding higher quality, shorter runs, and faster turnaround with more specialty features. To meet this demand Blip has embraced technology, and works hard to remain as flexible as possible in the ever changing market. The Process: Offset Printing.Based on paper handling there are several three main types of offset printing presses used today, and there are many sub types based on inking and ink delivery systems. However the technology is somewhat similar between styles. Sheet-fed Offset Printing: Sheet-fed printing presses pick up individual sheets of paper carrying them through a series of cylinders that transfer ink to the paper, and then stack it at the finish end. Web-fed Offset Printing: Web presses, as they are called in the industry, use very large rolls of paper that are continuously drawn through the printing cylinders at very high speeds. They usually have a folder that cuts off lengths of printed material and folds them down to a manageable size. Because the paper is supplied in large rolls, it is far less expensive than pre-sheeted paper. Web presses are usually used for printing newspapers, magazines, catalogs, and other long run jobs. Hybrid Presses: Hybrid presses feed paper from a roll like on a web press, but in the first part of the machine the paper is “Sheeted” into individual sheets, after that the press handles the paper the same as any other sheet-fed offset press. Other Printing Methods and subtypes:
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