Print Production

There are 3 types of print production, Hand, Mechanical, Digital.

Hand Techniques

Technique

What Is It? Advantage Disadvantage

Etching Using acid on untreated metal to create pattern.

Is very detailed

Acid is toxic and may burn through metal

Linocut Cutting a design into a sheet of lino, creating a reverse image and then pressing it into fabric or wood.

Can be duplicated with ease. Involves lots of tools

The image would be reversed which could cause some problems if you were writing.

Screen Print

Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas

Wouldn’t take long to make

Stencils are inaccurate and could come out faded and in some areas

Woodcut A print of a type made from a design cut in a block of wood, formerly widely used for illustrations in books..

You can print as many times as u want and the wood will last

It takes a long time. Needs a lot of specialist equipment

Lithography

The process of printing from a flat surface treated so as to repel the ink except where it is required for printing.

Detailed and accurate

It takes a long time to do. But with a lot of skill

Harry Jenner Unit 7 Task 1C

Hand Techniques

Harry Jenner Unit 7 Task 1C

Mechanical Techniques

Technique

What Is It? Advantage Disadvantage

Letterpress

Letterpress is a type of relief printing. Movable type is locked into the bed of the printing press, then inked and pressed onto a sheet of paper, producing the image.

It doesn’t need people to operate it and therefore if a company needs to make lots of prints they won’t need to waste money on hiring people to use the machines.

It may take a long time and machines could break down.

Gravure Gravure printing is a technique that uses engraving to product the image. The image is engraved onto a cylinder and a sheet of paper is rolled under it, pressing the image onto the paper.

It can make high quality art due to the fact that it has an engraved plate. Also the colour registration is superior and has the best appearance.

It costs a lot because the plates have to be made. This means it’s more resourceful to run it for long periods of time.

Screen Process

A screen of wood or aluminium with a fabric mesh stretched over it. The mesh is covered with an emulsion which closes the holes. Photographic film is then exposed to UV light. The emulsion is washed away and the mesh is dipped in ink.

It’s one of the best printers to use for text.

It one of the worst printers to use for art or images/ pictures.

Harry Jenner Unit 7 Task 1C

Mechanical Techniques

Harry Jenner Unit 7 Task 1C

Digital Techniques

Technique What Is It? Advantages DisadvantagesPhotocopying

A cylindrical drum is charged electrostatically. The drum is coated in a photoconductive material. A bright lamp lights up the original image. The areas of the drum that are exposed to light become conductive and the areas that aren’t become negative. This creates an electrical image. A toner is applied to the drum to develop the picture and the toner is applied to a piece of paper, which is melted together to create the image.

They can make lots of copies of all sorts of things from pictures/images to text.

The photocopier its self is very large and heavy this means it takes up a lot of space and is hard to move. Some photocopiers can only print in black and white as most have bad picture quality. Photocopiers also tend not to pick up faded lines.

Laser Printing

This is a method of digital printing that produces high-quality images quickly. It uses an analogue printer, but it uses the direct scanning of a laser beam across the printer’s photoreceptor.

It uses the same printing press as other digital methods.

They are very dangerous to people and the planet and are a lot more costly.

Inkjet Printing

Inkjet is a method of computer printing that fires drops of ink onto paper. The principle is also used to directly put ink onto materials.

Inkjet printers are common and relatively cheap.

Images can be wet when printed and easily smudged and ruined.

Desktop Publishing

Desktop publishing programs create print material via a standardised format.

Can look as professional as other techniques. It allows a wide range of people to access methods of publishing. It also gives more control than word programs e.g. Microsoft Word.

Setup expenses for computer, you need knowledge of using desktop publishing software.

Digital Techniques

Harry Jenner Unit 7 Task 1C