Offset printing to a brilliant road (on)

(Offset's Rough Road To Prominence) Offset printing technology is now favored by printers, but not always. IPG has been keeping an eye on its development over the past 50 years. How is offset lithography applied to printing companies? When the letterpress printing was defeated 25 years ago, this problem appeared in the March 1976 magazine (the title of which was the review and prospect of copying technology) in response to the rapidly developing copier industry competitive market. Regardless of past or present, offset printing is very practical for printing companies. 50 years ago, IPG introduced our offset lithography technology and its advantages to our readers. Offset Printing Magazine is both a creator and a supporter. When we celebrate this golden age, we should think back and think about how offset printing changed the past 50 years and what these changes have brought today. Shadows from letterpress printing Not many people remember that offset printing technology was not very popular at first. In the 1950s, offset printing technology was not the best. Although the problem of ink balance has been solved, the wetting system is also very good, and the imagesetter has been invented, but plate making requires time- and money-consuming production in special circumstances. Moreover, the positioning registration and color calibration of printing are very important issues. . On the other hand, letterpress printing has become familiar to the market and print customers. It has nothing to do with offset printing technology. Although it takes a lot of time to prepare for prepress, it is still the main choice in the 1960s. Bernd Blumberg, the print manager of the US marketing department at Heidelberger, recalled: “The letterpress prints are clear and of good quality. Everyone understands the work process and clearly understands the future. But when they come in contact with the offset, the ink balance problem is not handled properly. It's not good, and you can't get a fine print.” All the conditions are slowly changing. During the entire fifties, new technologies emerged in an endless stream and developed rapidly. During this period, offset printing technology gradually formed. If we say that the letterpress printing still has its advantages, that is, its prints are of clear quality and are familiar to the majority of printers, offset printing technology now occupies advantages with its high speed and low effective cost. Since 1950, there have been major developments in offset printing technology. The first is the appearance of the phototypewriter. Since Gutenberg, there have been two methods for printing text: first, liquid lead alloy is injected into a copper matrix mold and cast; second, a typewriter is used; the former is used as a lead plate. In printing is called "hot exhaust." In 1949, the Intertype Fotosetter machine was introduced. The most important difference was that it did not support hot-slab casting and replaced it with photographing. In 1954, a second-generation image-setter device emerged. Using light sources and photosensitive paper, Photon 200B greatly reduced the amount of preparation time consumed for making text versions. More importantly, it is equipped with a cathode ray tube device, which is the prototype of today's digital typewriters. From the appearance of pre-sensitized plates (PS plates) and plate-making equipment in 1956, as well as practical "cold-discharge" technology and high-speed printing, printers can begin to enjoy the benefits of convenient control of the plate making process. The new paper and plastic plates, which are faster and cheaper than metal plates, are the highest point of development. They can simplify and help printers to complete a large number of print jobs faster and better. These new technologies can allow printers to accept many time-consuming and expensive print jobs, so printers can save money and increase productivity. Printing stability When offset printing technology developed to the 1960s, the fine chemistry in the printing process constituted the highest peak in the development of offset printing technology. It was necessary to try to find the best balance between ink and wash, or to ensure the normal operation of the printing plate. The degree of wetness and the adjustment of the water and ink systems require years of experience and technology. Curtis Simmons, former head of printing at the Louisiana State University of Louisiana, explained: “Basically, the printing process you are talking about is moving forward, but the rubber, corrosion system, ink system, and all chemical reaction processes Quality is not the case, but you will not encounter these problems in letterpress printing. All you have to do is transfer the ink to paper.” To solve these difficulties, manufacturers need to find a way to make the offset technology stable and chemical reactions are normal The road. The first step was the invention of an alcohol fountain solution. Since the appearance of Dahlgren's continuous dampening system in 1960, lithographic offset printing has only reached the level of clarity achieved by letterpress printing. In the last years of the decade from 1950 to 1960, the popularity of offset printing technology began to compete with letterpress printing. Since the appearance of the imagesetter in the fifties, offset printing technology has slowly penetrated into the market and opened up new markets. Despite this, despite the obvious advantages of the imagesetter, the high prices needed to purchase these devices until the mid-1960s still made most printers love letterpress printing. The Advancement of Typesetting Machines When the typewriter was first invented, its target market was the newspaper industry, which meant that they had to be huge and expensive, and most printers were using it. In any case, more and more printers are beginning to "try" new technologies as prices drop and quality levels increase. The real fate of development of offset printing is Compugraphic's version of the imagesetter, which is available in various dimensions from small to large. With the advent of new small offset presses such as ABDick's 350 and 360 series, the 1250 of the Addressograph Multigraph Crop, small printers can afford the rapid development of offset printing technology worldwide. Paul Molfino, head of printing at the University of California in Santa Cruz, explained: “I think that small offset printing is easy to operate, and the improved paper-based plate technology makes it more attractive so you can avoid it. Including many difficulties in making film and making it cheap."