Commercial Lithographic Printing
Commercial lithographic printing is a process of printing from a flat surface. This process is used in newspapers, magazines, posters, and greeting cards. Commercial lithography creates the perfect print for advertisement due to its permanence, high image quality and wide color gamut.
While linotype printing was revolutionary and the first commercially viable process, it was not perfect. It had all of the limitations of a moveable metal type. It was slow, had to be set up manually, and a complex system of registering the letters and setting up the type bars manually.
Commercial lithography is an automated process that allows for quick set-up, much more flexibility in design space (72% more than linotype), and the ability to produce prints with very high resolution. There are over 100 different print plates available commercially to fit any need. Commercial lithographed printing also has a wide color gamut (16 times more than linotype). This means that there is a very high color fidelity.
Commercial lithography uses three types of printing plates. A matrix plate (or "matrix" for short), a screen plate and an engraving plate.
The first step in the commercial lithographic printing process is the design of the image. Each image is then printed on a large sheet of paper (typically known as the "blank") which has a matrix used to create a negative image. The negative image can be printed immediately or it can be stored until it's needed: Some companies digitally store images while others produce plates at the same time they print ads or images on their products, and have immediate print shipment.
The next step is the creation of the image on a screen plate. This plate has a grid pattern imaged onto its surface. In commercial lithography, one side of the plate has a positive image printed onto it and the other side has a negative image. If a positive image is created, it is then transferred onto the reverse side by shining light through it and bouncing off its surface. If a negative image is created, it is then transferred onto the second side by passing light through it so that no light passes through from one side to the other. This process creates an offset printing plate or "screen. The image created on the screen plate can then be applied to a lithographic printing plate.
Then the printed image is transferred to an "engraving" plate. This process is similar to that of the screen plate except that an engraving plate creates a negative image instead of a positive. The negative energy (the light) has been passed through a film of powdered silver, it then reflects onto the surface of the engraving plate, and is removed by means of paper or ink.
These three plates are used together to create the printed image on paper. Once this printing process is complete, another step must take place before the print can be shipped or sold.
Commercial lithography printing uses a roller or belt to transfer the image from the screen plate to the paper. This process is called "transfer printing". It is necessary because commercial lithography does not have an offset press where the negative (matrix) image can be printed onto "positive" paper. Positive and negative images are created from different screens that must be placed over each other ideally in just the right order. If either thing is out of place or slightly off, then it may cause a non-positive or non-negative image to appear on the print. This can ruin an otherwise perfect print and ruin its ability to get paid for. By transferring the image to the paper, it allows for a much more controlled image and superior quality.
Commercial lithography is used in newspapers, magazines, posters, and greeting cards. Many of these applications are suitable for commercial lithography because they require high resolution and print volume. Commercial lithography has an extremely high resolution compared to other printing methods such as offset printing or silk-screening (the latter often used for posters). Images in newspapers, magazines and posters are often printed by commercial lithographic machines; these machines can print pictures with very small details and sharp edges that cannot be printed on offset presses. Commercial lithography is also extremely popular in the greetings card market. Since greeting cards are printed all over the world, commercial lithography is an ideal solution for this market as it can print on a large range of products, from card stock to light, thin paper. Greeting cards have to have a good color gamut and high image quality in order for them to be sold. Commercial lithography achieves this through its wide gamut and the exceptional image quality that comes from the engraved printing plate.
Commercial Lithographic printing is often used for printing magazines and newspapers because of its high-resolution. This means that the image can be printed with tiny details and sharp edges. These types of things are often needed in newspapers and magazines to allow the reader to see something exactly how the designer intended. This makes it a much less likely candidate for cheaper, lesser-quality printing methods such as screen printing or other lithographic methods (such as offset printing). Commercial Lithographic printing is known for its high volume of print runs because of its speed.
Offset Printing is a cheaper alternative to commercial lithography. When looking at price vs. quality, offset printing is a cheaper option but also has lower image quality than commercial lithography would achieve if used at comparable volumes. Offset printing does not use an engraved printing plate, but instead uses an inked rubber blanket that touches the paper. This method of offset printing has a much lower resolution than commercial lithography. Its color gamut is smaller and its image quality is lower. The offset press can also print larger quantities of images than commercial lithography because it is a continuous process. Offset printing is not as suitable for newspapers and magazines because of its low-resolution, high-volume ability and lower color gamut since newspapers and magazines often have small details that need to be shown to the reader perfectly. Commercial lithographic machines have a higher resolution which allows newspapers to have smaller details printed on them, giving more information to their readers.
Conclusion
The commercial lithography technique used for the printing of greeting cards is ideal for the production of these items. It allows for bigger color gamuts and the ability to transfer images from screen plates onto many different types of card stock. The offset printing process is suitable for newspapers and magazines because it does not allow for high-resolution, but does allow for very large print runs that commercial lithography cannot achieve.