The image of the content you want to produce is placed on a plate, which is then covered in ink and used for printing. Lithography/Lithographic and offset printing, or litho printing for short, is where the image of the content you want to produce is placed on a plate, which is then covered in ink and used for printing. This method can print on paper, cardboard, and a variety of other materials.
The image or words you wish to print are put against the plate, and the inks are absorbed in the appropriate way. To ensure that the inks are mixed correctly and placed in the precise order, it takes a tremendous deal of skill.
Because of the high-quality output and quick turnaround, lithography is frequently utilised for printing books, catalogues, and posters all around the world. While it takes longer to set up than a digital printer, it is faster to produce large volumes of high-quality repetitive items in large quantities. That’s why it’s ideal for the products listed above.
We’ve already discussed what litho printing is ideal for, but here’s a more comprehensive (though not full) list:
- High-quality printing on display boxes for packaging
- High-quality brochures
- Catalogues
- Handbooks
- Prospectuses
- Magazines
- Promotional posters
- Anything that requires large quantities of sharp, colourful printing
There are two issues that offset litho printing must deal with in this digital age. Digital printers and digital media are two types of digital printing.
For starters, the former is a “threat” to litho printing because it allows for faster setup and fewer manual input. As a result, expenses for rapid, low-volume tasks may be lower than with litho. However, when compared to digital print techniques, litho printing, also known as offset printing, is still relevant since it can support greater weights of paper and is more cost effective when printing in big quantities.