Task 7: Print IndustryBy Matt Holley

Main Print Sectors

Hand

• Etching

• Linocut

• Screen print

• Woodcut

• Lithography

Mechanical

• Gravure

• Screen

process

• Letterpress

Digital

• Photocopying

• laser printing

• inkjet

• desktop

publishing

The main printing techniques are screen printing,

block printing and photocopying. Letterpress,

lithography, flexography, and gravure printing are

used in commercial manufacturing. Finishing

techniques enhance the final product.

Hand

Etching• Method- Etching is the process of using strong acid or

mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal

surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal.

Advantages:

• It is a hard skill to learn but once mastered you can earn

lots of money

• The skill doesn’t revolve around a particular material or

colour

Disadvantages:

• Expensive depending on the materials used

• A lot of training required to get into the etching industry

Linocut

• A design carved in relief into a

block of linoleum

pattern, design, figure - a decorative or

artistic work.

Advantages:

• carving is enabled, printing is

possible, embossing is enabled,

rubbing, tough and sturdy, different

surfaces, easy for simple designs

Disadvantages:

• Mistakes are irreversible, it is not 3D,

you have to work hard to get texture,

hard to cut, limited colour application,

hard to clean, hard to get off hands,

long time to dry, Time consuming

Screen-printing

• The screen is made from a fine

mesh material fixed to a wooden

frame. A stencil is placed under the

screen and ink forced through the

stencil onto the material below.

Screen printing with stencils is best

for blocks of colour.

Advantages:

• Creates unique visual result

• Inks used are durable

• Vivid colours

• Flexible printing techniques

Disadvantages:

• Very time consuming

Woodcut

• Is a relief printing artistic technique in

printmaking where an image is carved

into the surface of some wood, with the

printing parts remaining level with the

surface while the non-printing parts are

removed, typically with gouges.

Advantages:

• Introduction of paper was a lot cheaper

than vellum

• Great for mass production

• Cheaper than metals

• Could be combined with movable type

Disadvantages:

• Can take a long time to carve, hours or

even days

• Difficult to carve small details

Lithography

• A printing technique by which the image to be printed is

fixed on a stone or metal plate with a combination of

ink-absorbent and ink-repellent vehicles.

Advantages:

• Fast print runs

• Images are clear and fast

Disadvantages:

• Cannot produce high quality prints

• Print quantity must be high

• Materials are difficult to use

DigitalPhotocopying

• Most current photocopiers use a

technology called Xerography, a dry

process that uses electrostatic

charges on a light sensitive photoreceptor to

first attract and then transfer toner particles

(a powder)

onto paper in the form of a image.

Advantages:

• The process is fast

• It is also very cheap

Disadvantages:

• Lack of reliability

• Damaging to the environment

Laser Printing

Electrostatic printer that focuses a laser

beam to form images that are transferred to

paper electrostatically.

Advantages:

• Efficiency and speed

• Barely emit sound

• User friendly

Disadvantages:

• With the added benefits it makes them

very expensive

• Hazardous to the atmosphere and your

health

Ink Jet

• Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing

that creates a digital image by propelling

droplets of ink onto paper, plastic, or other

substrates.

Advantages:

• Lowest cost of printing on the market

• High quality images

• The printer doesn’t require a lot of time to

heat up before printing

Disadvantages:

• High cartridge cost

• Time confusing compared to laser printing

Desktop Publishing

• Desktop publishing (abbreviated DTP) is the

creation of documents using page layout skills

on a personal computer. Desktop publishing

software can generate layouts and produce

typographic quality text and images

comparable to traditional typography and

printing.

Advantages:

• Cheap way for businesses to create quality

material inexpensively

• Option of better programs with more functions

Disadvantages:

• Requires knowledge to use the programs

• The better programs are more expensive

MechanicalGravure

In Gravure printing, the image is made up of

small holes sunk in the surface of the

printing plate. The holes are filled with ink

and any excess is removed. Paper comes

into contact with the ink in the holes when it

is pressed against the plate.

Advantages:

• Brilliant photographic quality, bright

colours, best possible appearance and

highest perceived value for your product.

Disadvantages:

• Its main disadvantage is the high cost

and the time needed to engrave gravure

cylinders.

LetterpressThis is a form of relief printing. In relief

printing, the parts to be printed are raised up

from the plate. Letterpress printing can be

used to produce both type and illustrations. It

is used for small printing jobs such as

business cards and stationary.

Advantages:

• Letterpress creates crisp, clear lines and

bold images

• High pigment level ink is used in printing to

create sharp images and typography.

Disadvantages:

• Slow process

• Colour isn’t always high quality

• Expensive

Screen process

A method in which image is transferred to the surface to be printed by

means of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stencilled screen

stretched over a frame. Glass, plastic, fabric and wood are popular

materials on which to screen-print.

Advantages:

•Unique visual results

•Inks are durable

•Can print on a large variety of materials

Disadvantages:

•Very time consuming

•Has to use batch production