Offset printing! Offset printing has been around for more than a century, and for most of that period, it was the prized method of printing all things commercial. That includes brochures, flyers and other advertisements. Often hailed to be a method of superior printing quality, let's dive into what is offset printing!
Also known as offset lithography, offset printing is a method that involves personalised metal plates that apply ink onto a sheet of paper. Each sheet in a particular job has its own personalised metal plate. To condense a complex process, these personalised metal plates transfer an image onto a rubber 'blanket', with said 'blanket' rolling the image onto a sheet of paper thereafter. Offset's name came about because the ink in question is not transferred directly onto the paper.
Due to its complex process, the setup for offset printing is generally time consuming, in turn increasing its general cost. However, once they're set up, the offset presses run very efficiently.
Offset printing can use both CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key) or Pantone! This is particularly important for large corporate brands where colour consistency is crucial for the brand's image.
Offset printing offers the highest possible printing quality, providing accurate colour reproduction and great detail. Offset is reliable in the sense that your images will be clean and distinct, without any streaks or imperfections. Offset works equally well on almost any kind of material as well, including plastic.
Offset printing is for you if you have a high volume job. As a result of its high setup cost, it would be expensive and a waste of money to use it on a small printing job. This is why offset printing is the most commonly used method for high volume commercial jobs, such as magazines and newspapers.
Interested in using offset printing in your future printed works? Contact us through our website for any enquiries! For additional Letterpress love and inspiration, follow our Instagram page (instagram.com/pyprstudio).