TYPES OF PRINTING
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRINTING METHODS DEPENDS ON:
• Deadline – When needed
• Budget – How much?
• Quantity – How many?
• Quality – Audience & life of job

IMPACT Printing: Conventional Commercial Printing
A reproduction of an original by transferring ink onto paper under pressure
• Relief / Letterpress - Image raised from plate surface
--------Emboss, Diecut and Foil Stamping

•Intaglio / Gravure / Engraving - Image lower than plate surface - Engraved
--------Engraving, DI 6-color digital plates

• Planographic / Offset - Flat Image from plate to blanket to paper

• Conventional Offset - attracts oil based ink to image off water based plate
• Waterless Offset - attracts oil based ink to image off cold silicon based plate
• Hifi / Stochastic - 7-color plates (C,Y,M,K,O,G,V) with variable dot size
• Serigraphy / Silkscreen - Screen printing
• Themography - Raising images through heating ink
• FTP, CTP or DTP – Film, Computer or Disc-to-Plate process

• NON-IMPACT "Alternative" Printing: also called: Copier, Quick, On-Demand
Printing, DI (Direct Imaging) printing, or Digital Printing
A reproduction of an original by transferring ink or graphic powder onto paper through
electrostatic charges, laser beam, or jet spray and heat

• Electrostatic / Xerographic – Reprography, Copiers
• Film / Laser Imaging - Light / CRT/Image Setting
• Digital Printing - off a disc or computer – LASER – INJET – DIE/THERMAL
--------Laser Writer - laser jet of toner - 300 to 1200 dpi
--------Xerographic 3-4 color - Electrolaser Fiery RIPS - "soft prints"
----------------Agfa ChromoPress / Xeikon DCP –1 on web paper
----------------Canon /Xerox – Docucolor – 17x22, 2 sides and larger

• Ink Jet – Bubble or Diezo
--------HP /Epson color printers - from 600 to 6000 dpi
--------Indigo E-Print 6000
--------SmartJet - Iris
--------Die Sublimation/Thermal Wax - continual tone quality – 2400

• Thermal Rod - heat rod on light sensitive paper (original faxes)

TYPES OF WORK-FLOW
Look for systems which will underscore the commitment to open PDF-based digital
workflows for the printing industry that will serve jobs which can be printed commercially
or digitally or on the internet