What Is Offset Lithography & How Does It Work

Offset lithography is a printing method whereby inked images are first transferred from a metal plate to a flexible rubber blanket before they are transferred onto a printing surface. It is widely used for producing high-quality prints on different printing surfaces including paper, cloth, wood, or rubber.

The two types of offset lithography are sheet-fed offset printing and web offset printing. Want to know more about – what is offset lithography? types of offset printing, and how they work? Read on to learn more.

What Is Offset Lithography

Offset lithography, which is also known as offset printing, is a method for printing that enables the mass production of various products including magazines, books, stationery, and cards. In offset printing, the metal plates last longer because it does not have direct contact with the print media.

The images are first transferred from the metal plate to rollers or rubber blankets before they are transferred to the print media. Offset lithography produces an excellent result even when used on rough-surfaced print media like wood or cloth. 

This is because the flexible rubber adapts easily to the print media surface. One of the benefits of lithographic offset printing is its ability to consistently provide high image quality.

What Are Two Types of Offset Lithography

The two types of offset printing commonly used for producing high-quality prints in large volumes today are sheet-fed offset printing and web-offset printing.

Sheet-Fed Offset Printing

In this type of offset printing, papers are inserted into the machine one after the other. The pages can be trimmed after the printing or pre-cut to the preferred sizes before they are fed into the machine. Sheet-fed offset printing is commonly used for print projects like business cards, flyers, stationery, letterhead, brochures, etc.

Though sheet-fed machines are a bit slower than web printing machines, they won’t stop printing work in progress if an issue occurs. For instance, if the folder or cutter stops functioning, the printing work will continue. Sheet-fed offset printing is the best option for high-quality publications that should be completed within a reasonable timeframe.

Web Offset Printing

Higher-speed and larger machines are used for web offset printing. In web offset printing, massive rolls of paper are fed into the machine and each page is set apart and trimmed after printing. This type of offset printing is commonly used for both small and medium-sized jobs like newspapers or magazines.

Web offset printing is the best option for large-volume jobs that should be completed in a timely fashion. 

Since web printing machines can print on both sides of the web at the same time, they can be used to print folded papers like books or magazines easily. One of the main advantages of web offset printing is that it has the lowest cost per copy.

What Are the Benefits of Offset Lithography

After explaining what is offset lithography and the types of offset lithography. It is also important to also explain the benefits of offset lithography to give buyers more knowledge about offset lithography. Some of the main benefits of offset lithography are explained below.

Cost-Effectiveness

Offset lithography stands out from every other method of printing because of its ability to consistently produce high-quality printings at a very low cost. The higher the quantities produced, the lower the per-cost unit. The flow of ink across the color plates can be easily controlled by the operator, thereby minimizing contrast issues and the production of wasted prints. Also, offset printing is more cost-effective for large printing because it uses low-cost ink, and its metal plates can be reused.

High-Quality Images

Offset lithography is the best for printing projects that require clear and brilliant details (illustrations or photographs) because it provides sharp, detailed, and high-quality images. Unlike digital printing, offset lithography employs ink instead of toner. Therefore, it produces a print quality that is both distinct and clearer. Due to the flexible rubber in offset lithography, high-quality images are easily obtainable on different materials including plastic, wood, and cloth.

Faster Production Times

Offset lithography is faster and more efficient than other printing methods. It can produce thousands of copies within a short period without compromising on quality. Also, it helps to boost production efficiency because it helps to produce publications at a very high speed. Speed and consistency in producing exact high-quality printing output are easily achievable because of the work done in the pre-press process.

In conclusion, what is an offset printer and what are the benefits it provides? Offset printer allows users to produce flawless and high-quality images in large quantities within a short period, and at a very low cost.

How Offset Lithography Differs from Digital Lithography

One of the differences between digital lithography and lithographic offset printing is the output quality. Digital lithography produces high-quality prints too, but the output may not be as vibrant and sharp as offset lithography. Offset lithography is widely known for consistently producing high-quality with vibrant and sharp colors, particularly when special colors such as Pantone colors are used.

Another main difference between these two printing techniques is the cost. Generally, offset printing is more expensive that digital printing, especially for small or medium-volume prints. One main reason why offset printing is more expensive than digital printing is that it requires the use of expensive metal plates.

Where Offset Lithography is Used

Offset Lithography is now considered the best method for high-volume printing in various industries because of the several benefits it offers. Still, having doubts about what is an offset printer and where it is used? Check below to see where offset lithography is used:

 Commercial Printing Industries

One of the industries where offset lithography is widely used in the commercial printing industry. So, what is offset printing used for in the commercial printing industries? It is used for printing catalogs, brochures, newspapers, books, and magazines. The offset printing machine has the ability to produce high-quality prints in higher volume. In addition, offset lithography is used in the commercial printing industry because it is compatible with various printing materials.

 Advertising Design Companies

This method of printing is used by advertising design companies because it allows for high-quality prints with fine details, and vivid and fine colors that are essential for creating effective and visually appealing marketing materials. Also, this printing method can be used for printing on various types of paper and other printing materials.

Art Studios

Offset lithograph is used in art studios for the mass production of original artwork prints. With the use of an offset printer, artists can easily multiply their work for easy accessibility to a large number of people. It makes it easy to create high-quality prints that look exactly like the original artwork without stress.

In summary, offset lithography printing is a printing method that is used in the commercial printing industries, art studios, and advertising design companies for producing high-quality prints in large quantities.

How Offset Lithography Works

To further explain this topic – what is offset lithography, it is important to explain how to offset lithography works. These two terms – offset & lithography describes the process for this method of printing:

Lithography

This is a printing method whereby both the image and non-image area exist together on a uniform plane. In other words, it means that the printing surface is completely flat. 

This is attainable because the ink used for offset printing is an oily substance (it repels water). Therefore, the non-printing areas must be hydrophilic (they repel ink), while the image areas must be oleophilic or lipophilic (they accept oily substances). 

Some offset lithographs use a completely different system known as a waterless offset printer or dry offset. In this type of offset lithograph, it is the silicone layer on the printing plates that repulses the ink.

Offset

This means that images are not directly transferred from the printing metal plate to the print media. Rather, images are offset (transferred) from the print media to a flexible rubber before it is finally transferred to the print media. 

This printing method can be used to print on various flat printing surfaces including paper, plastic, cloth, wood, or cardboard. 

Tips for Finding the Best Offset Printing Machine

Offset printing lithography machine is considered the best choice for small, medium, and high-volume printing where image quality will not be compromised. The following tips below will help you find the best-offset lithography printing machine:

Have Specific Requirements

One important thing that should be done before researching the best-offset lithography printing machine is to have specific requirements. For instance, it is very important for suppliers to the exact type of printers that their clients want to meet their exact needs of the client. One major way to get the specific requirements is by asking questions like, what exactly do you want to use the printer for? 

After knowing the specific requirements, it is also important to know the budget of the client. Knowing the budget of the client and having specific requirements before researching helps in decision-making and reduce the time and effort used in research. It will be easy to narrow down the research to the products that fit the client’s criteria.

Do Research and Make a Comparison

As a supplier, if you are looking to get the best offset printing lithography machine for your clients, it is important to invest more time in quality research.

Also, suppliers and contractors can make research about companies that manufacture and supply offset printing machines online. Go through their online reviews to know more about them. Before proceeding to payment, try to compare two or more companies to get the best offer. Choose a high-quality product that falls within budget and possesses all the requirements.

Kete is a professional and trustworthy manufacturer and supplier of offset printing machines. Kete specializes in flexible printing and packaging machine solutions that can be applied in diverse industries. 

If you are looking for a company with vast experience and a proven track record of producing high-quality offset printing machines and delivering the best services to a client, then you should consider Kete Group Limited.

Conclusion

In conclusion, offset lithography is a widely used printing technique that has changed the printing industry. It is an efficient and cost-effective method that is used for printing flawless and high-quality images in large quantities within a short time. Offset lithography is commonly used in different industries including the packaging industry, commercial printing industry, and advertising design companies.

Looking for a reliable printing machine company to buy offset printing machines?

Look no further than Kete Group Limited. At Kete Group, we specialize in manufacturing and supplying different types of high-quality printing and packaging machines for various businesses. Contact us today for more info.