Printing Methods
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In this printing method the ink is applied into the raised types of the printing cylinder and then transferred to the cartonboard surface. |
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GRAVURE |
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Gravure is a direct printing method in which the image areas to be printed are made up of many small recesses which are engraved on a copper printing cylinder and are filled with ink. Gravure printing presses are reel-fed presses which print at very high speeds. Gravure is best suited to long print runs due to the high initial cost and low unit cost. The method gives good image reproduction. |
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FLEXOGRAPHY |
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In this direct printing method the image areas to be printed are raised above the non-image ones. The printing plate is made of rubber or photopolymer. The advantage of flexography is that it can be used to print on most materials. Waterbased printing inks can be used. The disadvantage is that flexography often has difficulty |
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DIGITAL PRINTING |
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A printing press which prints information directly from a computer in a similar way to a computer printer. There is therefore no need to produce film or a printing plate. The advantages are speed and low costs for small four-colour print runs. |
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OFFSET |
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Offset is the most common printing method for cartonboard. The most frequently used method is sheet-fed offset, in which the printing press is fed with cartonboard sheets. This contrasts to web offset, which is reel fed. Offset is an indirect printing method. The ink is not transferred to the cartonboard sheet directly from the printing plate. |
| The printing cylinder sets off (hence “offset”) the printing ink onto a rubber-covered blanket cylinder, which transfers the ink/printing image to the cartonboard sheet. “Offset” usually refers to offset lithography, a printing method in which the image areas to be printed are distinguished from the non-image areas by the use of chemical properties rather than differences in level. |
