Lithography (Offset)

The first process we'll be talking about is Lithography, particularly offset. It is based on the principal that oil and water don't mix. A plastic or aluminum plate is coated with a photo polymer that's exposed through a photographic mask (this contains the image to be created on the plate). The plate then goes to a chemical process which hardens or "fixes" the exposed area and then another that washes away the unexposed area. Now the plate contains an ink receptive area and a non ink receptive area. When you print a page, the plate needs to be dampened. During this process, the water sticks to the unexposed areas of the plate. The ink, applied via rollers, will stick to the exposed (image) area. If the plate is dampened correctly, the oily inks do not stick anywhere but the image area.

In summary or things you might see on a quiz:

• Discovered by Alois Senefelder in 1798.
• Based on the principle that oil and water don't mix.
• Plates are created much like an old time photograph (the image is etched).

referenced: Brief Definition @ PC Magazine

Introduction

Printing isn't easy. From an inkjet desktop printer to an AB Dick, there are complications and nuances involved in using both. So don't get discouraged if you're not sure about the differences in sheetfed and webfed, or you don't understand the processes of Lithography and Gravure. I'll tell you what I know, and what I'm learning and we can grow together.

Here's a list of some of the things we'll be going over:

• The different printing processes
• The parts of a printer
• Color spaces and management
• Preflyting
• Understanding specs and standards (snap, gracol, swap, PDFX 1/a, etc.)
• Stock (paper, vinyl, and the like as well as basis size, brightness, etc.)
• Binding and Finishing processes
• Quality and cost control*
• Imposition*

If you have a request for a topic, I will be more than happy to comply, or if you need personal assistance on a topic, you can email me

*Subject to change