You need to know about five types of printing. Offset Lithography Flexography Screen printing

1. You need to know about five types of printing. • Offset Lithography • Flexography • Screen printing • Gravure • Digital or Laser printing • About each type of printing process you need to know: • Common uses such as whether they are for newspapers, stamps, shopping bags etc. • Advantages and disadvantages such as speed, quality and what surfaces they can print on. • Cost– expensive or cheap • See 133 to 137 in the book.

2. The main qualities of each printing method Name: Print process Photo Disadvantages Cost x/10 Common uses Print quality x/10 Advantages Offset Lithography Flexography • Packaging • Corrugated boxes • Shopping bags • 3D surfaces like bottles Screen printing Not as good as other processes. Slow and time consuming so not good for quantity production. Gravure Very expensive set up costs. The plate is made from brass Laser 10

3. Offset Lithography YouTube clip Text book pages 134 to 135 • Key facts: • 70% of printing done this way • Nearly always on paper or thin card • Uses Photomechanical Transfer (PMT) • Can be sheet fed or web fed • Ink is repelled from the non-print areas

4. Letterpress YouTube • Key facts: • Simple and non-technical • Inexpensive

5. Flexography Text book page 136 Key facts: Printing plate is flexible rubber Used on a variety of surfaces including metal, plastic and bottles Printing plate lasts longer

6. Gravure Text book page 137 • Key facts: • Very expensive • High quality • Plate made from brass • Used for stamps photos etc

7. Screen Printing Text book page 137 Click here • Key facts: • Print onto a wide range of surfaces • Cheap set up costs • Good for short production runs