Тема. History of Printing

Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. The history of printing began as an attempt to make easier and reduce the cost of reproducing multiple copies of documents, fabrics, wall papers and so on.

Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper.

Block printing first came to Christian Europe as a method for printing on cloth, where it was common by 1300. Block – books, woodcut books with both text and images, usually carved in the same block, emerged as a cheaper alternative to manuscripts and books printed with movable type.

Movable type is the system of printing and typography using movable pieces of metal type, made by casting from matrices struck by letterpunches. Compared to woodblock printing, movable type pagesetting was quicker and more durable.

It is traditionally believed that Johannes Gutenberg developed European printing technology around 1439. Gutenberg’s movable type printing is the most important invention of the second millennium. Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction of an oil – based ink which was more durable than previously used water – based inks. Gutenberg was also the first to make his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony.

Ivan Fedorov was one of the fathers of Russian and Ukrainian printing. In 1574 Fedorov published the second edition of the Apostolos and Azbuka.

Intaglio engraving, as a method of making prints, was invented in Germany by the 1430s, after the woodcut print. It has been suggested that goldsmiths began to print impressions of their work to record the design, and that printmaking developed from that. Today intaglio engraving is largely used for currency, banknotes, passports and high – value postage stamps.

Letterpress is the oldest printing technology invented by Gutenberg in 1440. His invention is based on three things: cast print types, a handcasting instrument to make this types and a printing press.

Lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder in 1796. After the oil – based image was put on the surface gum Arabic, a water soluble solution, was then applied, sticking only to the non – oily surface and sealing it. Chromolithography was the first method for making true multi – color prints.

Offset press was invented in 1870s. Offset printing is the major lithographic technology, in which the ink is first transferred from the printing plate onto a flexible intermediate carrier – the blanket – and then onto the substrate. Also the offset printing technology is now the major printing technology.

In 1843, Richard March Hoe invented the rotary printing press, a design much faster than the old flat – bed printing press. In rotary printing press the impressions are curved around a cylinder.

The modern screen printing process originated from patents taken out by Samuel Simon in 1907 in England.

After 1960s, was discovered digital printing, for example: xerography, inkjet printing, print on demand, 3D printing.

Xerographic office photocopying was introduced by Xerox in the 1960s. Later the laser printer was invented at Xerox in 1969 by Gary Starkweather. The first dot matrix printer was introduced in 1970.

The principle of inkjet printing was discovered by Canon engineer Ichiro Endo in 1977. Through the 1990s, many fax machines used thermal printing technology that is faster and more quietly that dot matrix printers.

The first digital press was introduced in 1993. Digital printing is the reproduction of digital images on a physical surface, such as common or photographic paper, film, cloth, plastic etc.

3D printing is a category of rapid prototyping technology. A three dimensional object is created by layering and connecting successive cross sections of material. Previous means of producing a prototype typically took man – hours, many tools and skilled labor.

Тема Prepress.

There are three parts of printing process: prepress, press, postpress.

Conventional prepress.

The prepress step involves the preparation of the copy or information for printing.

Typesetting begins with the inputting of text into a computer. Text input is the first stage of typesetting. Text input is followed by word processing. Word processing is followed by text output.

Page layout including the integration of text and image is carried out electronically in the computer, the completed page is output on film or paper.

Corrections to the output text are time-consuming and expensive and should therefore be avoided as much as possible.

The combination of text and images to form a page occurs during the page "make-up".

Sheet assembly is an information-gathering point of central importance for achieving trouble-free results. The following proofs are typical of what is used in conventional prepress:

• galley proof;

• position proof;

• color proof;

•press proof.

Galley proofs are produced for corrections to typesetting products.

Position proofs are required to check the completeness and correct location of text and image.

Color proofs are necessary for judging the quality of multicolor products.

Press proofing process is produced on the paper and with the ink used for the job.

Final step of prepress is plate ready for printing.

Digital prepress.

Since the early 1980s, printing and publishing technology has been evolving digital methods for production.

Text, images, and layout can be prepared either by the customer, the author, or the agency.

The text data are primarily prepared in "Word" format.

The picture objects of a printed product are usually available as photograph, slide, or reflection copy, and are scanned in, or digitized, for publication.

Graphics constitute the third main element of a printed page. They are generally generated in Freehand, Illustrator, or CorelDraw.

Layout programs are software packages allowing for flexible, creative work and for integrating the elements on pages or a sequence of pages.

Modern imposition programs offer virtually any imposition pattern in prepress.

Color management is the calibration of all input and output devices. Color management ensures optimum color reproduction. An important reason for using color management today is the correct output result will be achieved at the first attempt.

The proof should be a perfect sample of the later print run.

Digital proofing systems can be classified into two basic process variants based on intended use and quality required:

• soft proof;

• hard proof:

1)blueprint

2)imposition proof(layout proof)

3)color proof

4)screen proof

5)press proof

Blueprint and layout proofing are applications ideally suited to reasonably priced large-format printers and are normally equipped with ink jet printing units.

The color proofs created in this way serve as a guideline (reference) for the printer in charge of the production run.

Screen proofs it is the screen structure, which can also be simulated using a digital printing process.

Press proof is a test print of the data directly in a printing press.

Offset printing Technology

Offset printing is an indirect lithographic printing technology. It is now the major printing technology.

In the offset printing process the printing and nonprinting areas of the plate are practically on one level. The printing areas of the printing plate are oleophilic and the non-printing areas of the printing plate are hydrophilic. The dampening system covers the non-printing areas of the printing plate with a thin film of dampening solution.

The ink used in offset printing is usually a highly viscous mixture having the basic components of ink pigment, vehicle (binder), additives, and carrier substance. During the printing process, a thin film of ink is transferred from the image areas of the plate to the substrate.

Printing unit consists of inking and dampening units, the plate cylinder with the printing plate, the blanket cylinder with the blanket fixed to it, and the impression cylinder. All three cylinders must have the same circumferential speed at the contact line. The printing unit is driven by the impression cylinder via a gear train.

The Advantages of offset printing are:

• materials with different sheet size and grammages can be processed;

• nearly all finishing operations are possible

• the quality is rather high.

The Disadvantages are:

• complicated method – causes misprints

• sheet size just as big as machine size

• expensive printing machines.

There are two main offset technologies - sheet-fed offset printing and web-fed offset printing .

Fundamental attributes of sheet-fed offset are flexible production of printed products of a very high quality for a wide range of print volumes. In sheet-fed offset printing . Sheet-fed can be work and turn or work and tumble. Productions of sheet-fed lithography are books, catalogs, greeting cards, posters, etc.

Web offset printing consists of heatset and coldest principle and it’s used for production of commercial print jobs, magazines and newspapers.