<h1>PRINTING METHODS</h1>

In 1455, German born Johannes Gutenberg had an idea. He took a roller, an oil-based ink, metal type and paper and invented a process to reproduce words and language on a mass scale. The process became known as “Relief Printing” and enabled a single printer to set and reproduce multiple pages of text (Haslam 21).

Before his invention, virtually all documents and books were rendered either by hand or on individually carved woodblock. Relief printing put literature, books and in Gutenberg’s case, the Bible, into more hands.

He began the process by passing ink from a roller to the raised surface of a plate. He then pressed paper onto the metal type to make an impression. Today, this process is used to print beautiful wedding invitations and personal stationary.

Lithography

Three centuries would pass before the next major innovation in printing. In 1798, Alois Senefelder invented lithography. The process involved drawing or painting designs on limestone. An oil-based ink was applied to a stone with a roller; the ink adhered to the drawing, which was dry, and was repelled by the wet parts of the stone. The print was then made by pressing paper against the inked drawing.

Jules Cheret later experimented with the process by using different stones for each of the process colors-CMYK. By Cheret’s time, photography had been invented and the process of emulsion was carried over into printing. Using a light sensitive lithographic stone, Cheret produced work that combined illustration, text and color. By 1870, Cheret’s process became dominant in communicating ideas across Europe and the United States.

Offset Printing

In the 20th Century, Offset printing would transform the printing process. In offset printing, ink is transferred from the printing plate to a rubber-covered cylinder before being printed on paper (211). The process is quicker than either relief printing or lithography, allowing for the mass production of print jobs.

Offset printing also integrated type and images on paper. Relief printing had been the desired choice for producing type on paper. Lithography was widely used to produce images. Offset printing brought type and images together through a process called photosetting. “Where relief printing had created type as an impression, photosetting created type as an image” (Haslam 211). Offset printing did not replace relief printing or letterpress, but made these jobs cheaper and more efficient. Today offset printing is considered the most effective way of printing.

The advent of the computer, digitized images and text continue to make the printing process quicker, less expensive and more accessible. Today, Indigo and Laser printers produce high quality posters, brochures and annual reports at low cost.