Commercial Printing

If you choose to work as a graphic designer and wish to apply your graphic design skills to print media (posters, stationery, cards, catalogs, brochures, etc.) you will ultimately be faced with creating digital graphic design files that will be printed at "offset lithographic" print shops.

The seamless transfer and output of these files is directly related to the exacting nature that you build and save your files. It is also linked to your understanding of what print shops will be meet your design and production needs.

Offset Lithographic Print Shops
all types of printing performed in print shops rather than in-house duplicating, copy machines or inkjet printers.

Small print shops
One or two presses with a bed size of 11x17" maximum
and usually prints one or two color jobs.
Will print several thousand pieces per job.

Mid-sized print shops
larger presses, print full-color jobs (4-, 6- and 8- color printing) and some now have digital printing (different than digital press).

Large printshops
Usually owned by large companies and print 100,000s of pieces per job.
- Magazines
- newspapers
- packaging

Some do Direct-to-plate (DTP) or Computer to Plate (CTP) printing eliminating the negatives.

In addition there is Print on Demand Printing (POND) which are digital printing presses where the image goes from the computer directly to a digital press.

Copy and Print on Demand Shops
Kinkos or Captured Images (Newbury Park), Graffic Traffic (Santa Barbara, Image Source (Ventura)
Do-it-yourself shops for small quantity printing.

Inkjet printers, copiers, digital copiers.

Different Printing Processes

Offset Lithography
Chemical process where oil and water don't mix.

The offset lithography process works by first transferring an image photographically to thin metal, paper, or plastic printing plates.

Unlike other forms of printing, in offset lithography the image on the printing plate is not recessed or raised. Rollers apply oil-based ink and water to the plates. Since oil and water don't mix, the oil-based ink won't adhere to the non-image areas.

Only the inked image portion is then transferred to a rubber blanket (cylinder) that then transfers the image onto the paper as it passes between it and another cylinder beneath the paper.

The term offset refers to the fact that the image isn't printed directly to the paper from the plates, but is offset or transferred to another surface that then makes contact with the paper.

DTP-Direct-to-plate or CTP-Computer-To-Plate Printing
The printing plate is made directly from the computer file which eliminates the need for film. The production of film costs time and money which is why direct-to-plate printing is so popular for low quantity jobs.

Digital Printing
In digital printing, the prints are made directly from a computer file without film or plates. The image is printed directly to the substrate or paper.This method is ideal for lower-quantity and customized needs but can only print CMYK images and files.

How Magazines Are Printed (video)

Letterpress Printing (video)

As you watch this video, you will notice that letterpress printing does not require digital files for printing! It was the normal form of printing text from its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century. It is an expensive and considered an "elite" or "niche" form of printing — often used for business cards, invitations, and other items that are single page layouts.

How Does Commercial Printing Work? (video)

Print on Demand Printing (video)

From the perspective of a comic book self-publisher, this video gives you a great overview of printing 24 page booklets in very small quantities!