Printing method selection
release time ：2018-9-8
time visited：2978
Printing method selection
Here we introduce the characteristics of common printing methods, for reference when selecting.
1, offset printing
At present, the inkjet printer is widely used in traditional water offset printing.
(1) The main advantages of offset printing: the process, equipment and supporting raw and auxiliary materials are fully mature. The printing quality is good and the cost is low. In various printing methods, offset printing is the most ideal method for copying halftone color images. The tone is rich, the level is clear, the dots are clear, the colors are coordinated, and the reality is natural. In the production of printing plates, especially the CTP plate making technology, the printing technology of the offset printing plate is the most mature, the offset printing cycle is short, the efficiency is high, and the cost is low.
(2) The main disadvantages of offset printing: the process is complicated, and the relationship between offset printing press, printing plate, paper, ink, ink balance and printing environment must be handled. Secondly, the ink layer printed by offset printing is not as thick as gravure and screen printing. Again, offset printing on plastic films has limited limitations (currently it is possible to print on plastic sheets).
Looking at the layout design, the advantages of offset printing far outweigh the disadvantages, and it is the most widely used and dominant printing method among various printing methods.
2, gravure
(1) The main advantages of gravure printing: the ink color is full and three-dimensional, the printing quality is stable, and the printing plate has a long service life. Suitable for high volume printing. Gravure printing equipment is simpler than offset printing machines. It can print paper bases and extremely thin plastic film substrates. Inkjet printer
(2) The main disadvantages of gravure printing: the plate making process is complicated, and the supporting plate making equipment has multiple image processing and the price is high. Secondly, gravure printing uses benzene-containing ink to pollute the environment and is harmful to the human body. The printing workshop must be equipped with ventilation equipment.
Gravure is also constantly improving due to advances in technology. Laser engraving gravure printing plate and gravure printing plate direct plate making (CTP) application and the progressive promotion of gravure printing water-based ink die-cutting indentation, so that the two major problems of gravure printing process are gradually solved. Whether the solution to the important problem of gravure will reverse the downward trend of gravure printing process needs to be tested in practice.
At present, in domestic packaging printing, in order to adapt to the development of small-volume and multi-variety inkjet, many printers are considering or have adopted a combination process of sheet-fed gravure presses and offset presses, which is a noteworthy issue.
3, flexographic printing
At present, the flexographic plate is made of photosensitive resin and rubber, and its hardness and thickness are compatible with the printing material and printing color.
(1) The main advantages of flexographic printing:
1 The scope of application and the wide range of substrates.
2 commonly used water-based inks. Non-toxic and non-polluting, especially suitable for packaging and printing.
3 The structure of the device is simple, Kodak, easy to operate, and easy to form a production line. At present, most flexographic printing presses are connected with processes such as bronzing, glazing, cutting, slitting, die cutting, indentation, punching, window opening, or other printing methods such as gravure printing. Screen printing, digital printing, etc. form a production line.
4 printing costs are lower. With the localization of flexographic printing equipment and its plates and raw materials in China, the cost will gradually decrease.
(2) The main problems in flexographic printing:
1 The domestic production of flexographic printing plates and raw and auxiliary materials has a long way to go.
2 Process standardization issues. There are many variables affecting flexographic printing, and it is difficult to achieve standardization and dataization.
3 carefully select equipment and printed products: one device is not a panacea. Offset and gravure products cannot be printed, and product design should be improved based on the characteristics of flexographic printing.
4, net (silk) printing
Screen printing can obtain a very thick ink film (usually 20 to 100 μm, and offset printing is only 0.5 to 2 μm). Because the ink film is thick, the wine packaging, screen printing machine should be equipped with a drying device.
Screen printing is commonly used in the printing of textile materials, toys, electrical equipment casings, instrument panels, signs, printed circuit boards, large format advertisements and posters, packaging prints, curved objects and some handicrafts.
(1) The main advantages of screen printing:
1 A wide range of applications and substrates.
2 The ink layer is thick.
3 can be combined with electrolysis process, bronzing process, burning process, plastic molding process, etc. to produce different types of artworks.
(2) The main problems of screen printing:
1 It is difficult to print halftone prints requiring high overprint accuracy.
2 equipment speed is low, printing efficiency is low.
5, digital printing
Mainly used for personalization and on-demand printing.
(1) The main advantages of digital printing:
1 can meet a variety of personalized, on-demand printing requirements, can be printed from one (parts) to thousands of copies;
2 can realize variable printing with different information in the printing process;
3 In the case of a small number of printing, the printing time is short and the area is reported, and the printing price is lower than the conventional printing;
4 The current printing quality can meet the general requirements of the public.
(2) The main problems of digital printing:
1 does not adapt to a large number of printing;
2 can not meet the fine quality requirements;
3 equipment and equipment are expensive.
(3) Classification of digital printing.
1 constant graphic printing: mainly in the mechanical version of the traditional printing plate, that is, pre-press, printing integration. The characteristic is that after each printing plate is completed, the graphic information is recorded and cannot be erased, so the cutting and printing of each graphic are the same, and variable printing cannot be realized. However, since all prints use the same plate, the print quality is stable. The constant graphic printing machine, because the plate making and printing are on the same machine, the equipment price is high and the wine packaging is not possible, and the printing efficiency is low. Suitable for small quantities and fast printing. Ink balance
2 Variable graphic printing: There is a variable image printing of the intermediate imaging carrier, the intermediate imaging carrier (printing plate) can be repeatedly imaged, the graphic can not be recorded but can be erased, and the “printing plate” needs to be re-made once every printing. Even if the printed graphic is the same film, print one piece to make a "print plate". Therefore, the determinant that affects print quality and its stability is image quality. At the same time, the accuracy and consistency of ink (toner) transfer also has an important impact on print quality.
There is no intermediate imaging carrier variable graphic printing, the imaging material is controlled by computer, directly to the printing material (paper).
Variable graphic printing is suitable for printing Adobe, such as commercial papers, bills, statements, lottery tickets, direct mail prints, bills, etc., for frequently changing graphics.
3 Invariant and variable graphic printing: The graphic of the intermediate imaging carrier can be recorded or erased as needed. When you need to print the same graphic, the graphic of the "printing plate" can be recorded. When it is necessary to print other graphic prints, the "print plate" graphic can be erased and the "print" is re-made on the original drum. Continuous printing with the same graphic text or different graphics can be realized as needed.
6, combined printing
Each printing method has its own characteristics. Therefore, overprinting, combining different types of printing methods, and combining printing methods that complement each other will appear.
(1) Combination printing method.
1 combination printing of traditional printing methods: namely different combinations of offset printing, gravure printing, embossing, flexographic printing, screen printing, etc.;
2 combination printing of digital printing: a combination of different digital printing methods;
3 combination printing of traditional printing and digital printing.
(2) The main problems existing in combination printing:
1 Printability of substrates and inks. Different printing methods have different printing suitability requirements for the substrate, and the combined printing requires that the substrate can be adapted to different printing methods. Different printing methods have different inks, and whether the overprinting of different inks is compatible is subject to trial selection.
2 The printing speed of various printing methods in combination printing is different, and it can only be low or low in the entire printing system. This affects the printing efficiency of the device.
3 standardization issues. Different printing methods have different printing process standards, and different printing methods have different design standards. The application of combined printing brings about process standards and equipment standards.
Here we introduce the characteristics of common printing methods, for reference when selecting.
1, offset printing
At present, the inkjet printer is widely used in traditional water offset printing.
(1) The main advantages of offset printing: the process, equipment and supporting raw and auxiliary materials are fully mature. The printing quality is good and the cost is low. In various printing methods, offset printing is the most ideal method for copying halftone color images. The tone is rich, the level is clear, the dots are clear, the colors are coordinated, and the reality is natural. In the production of printing plates, especially the CTP plate making technology, the printing technology of the offset printing plate is the most mature, the offset printing cycle is short, the efficiency is high, and the cost is low.
(2) The main disadvantages of offset printing: the process is complicated, and the relationship between offset printing press, printing plate, paper, ink, ink balance and printing environment must be handled. Secondly, the ink layer printed by offset printing is not as thick as gravure and screen printing. Again, offset printing on plastic films has limited limitations (currently it is possible to print on plastic sheets).
Looking at the layout design, the advantages of offset printing far outweigh the disadvantages, and it is the most widely used and dominant printing method among various printing methods.
2, gravure
(1) The main advantages of gravure printing: the ink color is full and three-dimensional, the printing quality is stable, and the printing plate has a long service life. Suitable for high volume printing. Gravure printing equipment is simpler than offset printing machines. It can print paper bases and extremely thin plastic film substrates. Inkjet printer
(2) The main disadvantages of gravure printing: the plate making process is complicated, and the supporting plate making equipment has multiple image processing and the price is high. Secondly, gravure printing uses benzene-containing ink to pollute the environment and is harmful to the human body. The printing workshop must be equipped with ventilation equipment.
Gravure is also constantly improving due to advances in technology. Laser engraving gravure printing plate and gravure printing plate direct plate making (CTP) application and the progressive promotion of gravure printing water-based ink die-cutting indentation, so that the two major problems of gravure printing process are gradually solved. Whether the solution to the important problem of gravure will reverse the downward trend of gravure printing process needs to be tested in practice.
At present, in domestic packaging printing, in order to adapt to the development of small-volume and multi-variety inkjet, many printers are considering or have adopted a combination process of sheet-fed gravure presses and offset presses, which is a noteworthy issue.
3, flexographic printing
At present, the flexographic plate is made of photosensitive resin and rubber, and its hardness and thickness are compatible with the printing material and printing color.
(1) The main advantages of flexographic printing:
1 The scope of application and the wide range of substrates.
2 commonly used water-based inks. Non-toxic and non-polluting, especially suitable for packaging and printing.
3 The structure of the device is simple, Kodak, easy to operate, and easy to form a production line. At present, most flexographic printing presses are connected with processes such as bronzing, glazing, cutting, slitting, die cutting, indentation, punching, window opening, or other printing methods such as gravure printing. Screen printing, digital printing, etc. form a production line.
4 printing costs are lower. With the localization of flexographic printing equipment and its plates and raw materials in China, the cost will gradually decrease.
(2) The main problems in flexographic printing:
1 The domestic production of flexographic printing plates and raw and auxiliary materials has a long way to go.
2 Process standardization issues. There are many variables affecting flexographic printing, and it is difficult to achieve standardization and dataization.
3 carefully select equipment and printed products: one device is not a panacea. Offset and gravure products cannot be printed, and product design should be improved based on the characteristics of flexographic printing.
4, net (silk) printing
Screen printing can obtain a very thick ink film (usually 20 to 100 μm, and offset printing is only 0.5 to 2 μm). Because the ink film is thick, the wine packaging, screen printing machine should be equipped with a drying device.
Screen printing is commonly used in the printing of textile materials, toys, electrical equipment casings, instrument panels, signs, printed circuit boards, large format advertisements and posters, packaging prints, curved objects and some handicrafts.
(1) The main advantages of screen printing:
1 A wide range of applications and substrates.
2 The ink layer is thick.
3 can be combined with electrolysis process, bronzing process, burning process, plastic molding process, etc. to produce different types of artworks.
(2) The main problems of screen printing:
1 It is difficult to print halftone prints requiring high overprint accuracy.
2 equipment speed is low, printing efficiency is low.
5, digital printing
Mainly used for personalization and on-demand printing.
(1) The main advantages of digital printing:
1 can meet a variety of personalized, on-demand printing requirements, can be printed from one (parts) to thousands of copies;
2 can realize variable printing with different information in the printing process;
3 In the case of a small number of printing, the printing time is short and the area is reported, and the printing price is lower than the conventional printing;
4 The current printing quality can meet the general requirements of the public.
(2) The main problems of digital printing:
1 does not adapt to a large number of printing;
2 can not meet the fine quality requirements;
3 equipment and equipment are expensive.
(3) Classification of digital printing.
1 constant graphic printing: mainly in the mechanical version of the traditional printing plate, that is, pre-press, printing integration. The characteristic is that after each printing plate is completed, the graphic information is recorded and cannot be erased, so the cutting and printing of each graphic are the same, and variable printing cannot be realized. However, since all prints use the same plate, the print quality is stable. The constant graphic printing machine, because the plate making and printing are on the same machine, the equipment price is high and the wine packaging is not possible, and the printing efficiency is low. Suitable for small quantities and fast printing. Ink balance
2 Variable graphic printing: There is a variable image printing of the intermediate imaging carrier, the intermediate imaging carrier (printing plate) can be repeatedly imaged, the graphic can not be recorded but can be erased, and the “printing plate” needs to be re-made once every printing. Even if the printed graphic is the same film, print one piece to make a "print plate". Therefore, the determinant that affects print quality and its stability is image quality. At the same time, the accuracy and consistency of ink (toner) transfer also has an important impact on print quality.
There is no intermediate imaging carrier variable graphic printing, the imaging material is controlled by computer, directly to the printing material (paper).
Variable graphic printing is suitable for printing Adobe, such as commercial papers, bills, statements, lottery tickets, direct mail prints, bills, etc., for frequently changing graphics.
3 Invariant and variable graphic printing: The graphic of the intermediate imaging carrier can be recorded or erased as needed. When you need to print the same graphic, the graphic of the "printing plate" can be recorded. When it is necessary to print other graphic prints, the "print plate" graphic can be erased and the "print" is re-made on the original drum. Continuous printing with the same graphic text or different graphics can be realized as needed.
6, combined printing
Each printing method has its own characteristics. Therefore, overprinting, combining different types of printing methods, and combining printing methods that complement each other will appear.
(1) Combination printing method.
1 combination printing of traditional printing methods: namely different combinations of offset printing, gravure printing, embossing, flexographic printing, screen printing, etc.;
2 combination printing of digital printing: a combination of different digital printing methods;
3 combination printing of traditional printing and digital printing.
(2) The main problems existing in combination printing:
1 Printability of substrates and inks. Different printing methods have different printing suitability requirements for the substrate, and the combined printing requires that the substrate can be adapted to different printing methods. Different printing methods have different inks, and whether the overprinting of different inks is compatible is subject to trial selection.
2 The printing speed of various printing methods in combination printing is different, and it can only be low or low in the entire printing system. This affects the printing efficiency of the device.
3 standardization issues. Different printing methods have different printing process standards, and different printing methods have different design standards. The application of combined printing brings about process standards and equipment standards.
