What Is Litho Printing
The term litho means ‘stone’ or ‘to write’, and it was first invented in Prague in 1796 as a low cost printing method to publish theatrical works. Litho printing uses a stone or a metal plate with an entirely smooth surface in order to transfer images and text on to a page.
Originally litho printing used images drawn in wax or other oily substances on a litho sheet in order to transfer images and text on to a page. Litho printing is still widely used today to print t-shirts, books, brochures, pamphlets and art works.
Litho printing is a popular printing method due to its relatively low cost, versatility, quality and clarity and the speed at which it can print pages. Litho machines are capable of printing simultaneously on both sides of a page, and some litho printing machines can print up to 50 000 double sided ages per hour.
How Litho Printing Works
Modern litho printing still follows the basic principles on which it was first developed in 1796. This basic principle of litho printing is that oil and water do not mix. Firstly that plates that are used to print from have a slightly roughened texture that is coated with light sensitive chemicals that do not mix together.
These plates are made in one of two ways. The plates either receive exposure from light with film on top of the plate, or using lasers that are connected to a computer to expose the plates. Whichever way they are created they use the light to produce a negative of the image or text that you want printed.
The final step in the process is basically the same as developing a photo, where a negative image is created into a positive image that is printed on a page or a piece of cloth.
The Advantages Of Using Litho Printing Over Other Printing Methods
Litho printing produces a remarkably smooth print, without any ink rings or serrated edges that are characteristic of letterpress or gravure printing. Other printing methods also tend to leave uneven printing lines where some of the text might be raised.
These raised lines also make stacks of printed items larger, and if you are working in high volumes this will eventually add up to your transportation costs. Most clients also don’t want their audience distracted by how a message is printed, but rather let them focus on the message by using clear and sharp litho printing methods.
Litho printing also produces very clear, precise and sharp images on almost any type of material, which makes litho printing very versatile and practical as you can use the same process to print on almost any surface.
This printing method is also one of the fastest printing methods that there is. This is because litho printing machines are capable of printing on both sides of a page at the same time. This saves a lot of time and increases productivity. Some web press litho machines are capable of printing up to 50 000 sheets per hour.
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