The Offset Pressman

  Introduction Printing ink is so much more than just the black stuff that you put on a page. It has been around for thousands of years, and it's been used in everything from newspaper presses to digital printers. As you can see, we're not talking about offset printing ink which is oil based. I want to have a little fun and talk about how you can make your own ink for your printer.  At home! Ready? Ingredients You will need the following ingredients: Soot (5 tbsp) : This is as purest as it gest. You can make the soot yourself by holding a glass up to a flame. This will allow you to slowly accumulate the soot. Water (2 tbsp): For the base of your ink, use distilled water so that you don't introduce any impurities into the mix. Distilled water is also easier to clean up than tap water because there are no minerals or residue left behind from tap water. Alcohol (2 tbsp) (grain alcohol): This ingredient works as a preservative for your ink and allows it to last for several mo

  Introduction The printing industry is a lucrative business that produces billions of products each year. The process of printing involves transferring ink to paper and creating items such as books, magazines, advertisements and more. However, the two types of printing techniques are very different. In this article we will explain how offset and lithography differ from one another so that you can decide which one is right for your project! Is Offset Printing The Same As Lithography? To some, offset printing is considered to be the same as lithography. However, there are differences between them. The following are some of these differences: Lithography uses a flat surface and an ink roller to transfer ink onto paper. On the other hand, offset printing uses plates and a blanket roll for this purpose. Lithography therefore refers to the process of separating ink onto image areas for transfer to a substrate. Offset printing on the other hand, refers to the process by which that ink is the

  Introduction Offset printing is one of the most popular ways to print large quantities of high quality materials. The process has been around since the late 1800s and has been refined over time to be more effective, efficient and affordable. It's also a great option for many different types of projects including brochures, business cards and magazines. There are three main types of offset printing: lithography, rotogravure and flexography. Each type uses its own unique method to transfer ink onto paper which results in some slight variations in quality as well as price point. In this article we'll discuss these three printing methods so that you can decide which might be best suited for your project needs! Lithography Lithography is a printing process in which a lithographic stone is used. It produces high-quality prints, with a resolution of up to 1,200 dpi. Lithography is the most common type of offset printing, but is not as fast as other processes. The process takes advan

  Introduction Let's exploure when the CMYK color model was invented. And then we will talk a little about the inventor behind it. What is CMYK? Added together, they can form many colors CMYK is a color model used in printing and it stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). It's the most common way used to reproduce color on paper. You've probably seen it if you've printed something at home or in a professional print shop. CMYK is used in printing presses to create colors that appear on paper. The process involves mixing four colors together to create different shades: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K). The resulting combination of these four colors produces a wide range of hues that can be used to produce almost any aspect of an image or design printed on paper.  The K or "key" refers to any key color being placed into the composition; this could be black but could also be another primary color like red, blue or green depending on what y

  Introduction Printing is a complex process that involves digital images and physical paper. In addition to ink, printing requires certain colors of paper, specific design layouts and even printing presses. There are various techniques used in CMYK printing, including some that are more advanced than others. This article will explain how CMYK works so you can get a better understanding of what goes into creating your finished project! CMYK is an abbreviation for the four primary colors used for printing. CMYK stands for the four primary colors used in printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black). The CMY is a combination of all three primaries which can be used to create any color on your computer monitor. The K stands for the secondary color of black which is created by mixing all three primaries together. CMYK is a subtractive color model; meaning that when light hits an object it reflects back what we see as white. To produce this effect paint manufacturers add pigments to their

  Introduction Lithography is a type of printing that uses oil-based ink to transfer an image onto a plate. The plate is then pressed against paper, which absorbs the ink and transfers it to the page. Etching is a similar process in which an artist makes marks on metal plates, exposing the metal and allowing acid to eat away at the surface, creating new textures and marks in the metal. In order to make an etching, artists need a metal plate that has an acid-resistant coating, a drawing tool with a sharp end and an acid bath. In order to make an etching, artists need a metal plate that has an acid-resistant coating, a drawing tool with a sharp end and an acid bath. The artist uses the plate to draw on it with the sharp end of their instrument. They then dip the plate into an acid bath for just long enough for their drawing to be etched into the metal. After this process is done, they rinse away some of the ink so all that remains on top is their artwork in relief. Etchings are made on m

Though printing ink has been around for thousands of years, it is generally accepted that Ira Rubel of Nutley, New Jersey was the inventor.   While printing on a printing press with conventional oil based inks, he noticed that when a sheet was missed, the plate left an image on the rubber impression cylinder.  When another sheet was passed, the rubber impression was better than the one from the plate! So in 1903 Rubel made what is accepted today as the very first offset printing press that duplicated this error.  The ink for this offset press was formulated and refined during the years 1903 to 1905 as it was operated in his printing factory. This is believed to be the first real use of ink used and designed for offset printing.   Formulas continued to be refined as the offset printing process gained momentum.  

Offset printing inks have four main ingredients:  Vehicles, pigments, binders, and modifiers.   These ingredients can vary depending on the type of offset printing used. Most offset printing inks are made from vegetable oils. VEHICLES :   By volume, this is the largest component of ink. This oil based ingredient is as the designation says, it acts as a carrier, or vehicle to bring the pigment to the substrate, likely paper. Once applied to the paper, it’s function is to bind the pigment to the substrate.  The most common type of vehicle used in offset printing today is  soybean oil .  Though linseed oil and petroleum based vehicles have been used in the past, they are being used less and less through the years because of their expense.   Here are the oil based vehicles used in offset printing inks today: Petroleum Cottonseed Fish Castor Linseed Soybean Synthetic Rice bran Soybean oil has proved to be a better fit for offset printing because of the following: 1.  It has a substantial su

Regular process inks consist of the ingredients above.  However there are many specialty offset printing inks that have unique properties and characteristics.  These are made by means of special additives or modifying the quantities of the basic ingredients. They include the following: Quick-set inks  – The most common type of printing ink used in the world today. For example, many newspapers and business cards are printed this way.  The formula for this ink is a high resin and solvent mixture that absorbs into the paper right after being printed.  When the solvent absorbs into the paper, pigment and resin lay on the surface to dry and solidify (oxidize and polymerize) Quick-set inks. Heatset inks *  – Also very popular in commercial offset printing.  These inks have a solvent based vehicle with a high boiling point.  After being printed, the substrate passes through an oven and the solvents evaporate from the ink.  This leaves the pigment and resin.  The ink and paper are then cooled

Opacity or Transparency  – This is the inks ability for light to pass through it.  Some printing inks require high opacity – such as metallic inks, scratch off or mirror inks.  This quality depends largely on the type of pigment that is used.  This property is also referred to as  covering power.  Other must be as transparent as possible, such as process colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow). This is to allow a combination of colors to perform various colors of the color Permanence  – The ability of an ink to resist fading over time.  When the ink is exposed to the elements, it has the tendency to fade.  Permanence is a measurement of it’s resistance to this tendency and refers to all elements that could effect it, such as air quality or sunshine. This quality is governed by the lightfastness of the ink. Wettability  – This is the ability of the ink to resist discoloring or bleeding when it is exposed to moisture.  This is especially important when offset printers make packaging.  Body  –

Here is a breakdown of how offset printing ink is manufactured. STEP 1:  The vehicle (usually soy bean oil) and pigment are mixed together.  The vehicle is first heated up until it is much thinner and viscuous.  Then the pigment is poured in to the vehicle and a mixing machine thoroughly disperses the ink into the vehicle. Pigment STEP 2:  The mix is run through a bead mill.  This is a grinding process whereby small metal beads will break up any clumps of pigment that the vehicle didn’t dissolve.  However this is still considered a very rough grind and the pigment must be broken down even further. Bead mill STEP 3:   The ink is run through a 3 roller mill.  This machine consist of large steel rollers that run in opposite directions to one another at extremely close distance.  As the ink is run through it, this shear forces the pigment particles to grind down to the smallest size. Three roller mill STEP 4:   Quality checks.  The ink must now undergo a series of tests to ensure the pigme

Disposing offset printing ink into the garbage is illegal in most countries. Check with local authorities or with your local recycling company to find our more information.  Illegally dumping offset printing ink can result in expensive fines. A licensed chemical waste disposal company should be used to dispose of the ink.  They will require any safety data sheets you can provide. Larger ink companies will also provide this service.  They will take the used ink back and refine it to use again.  Some will even give this service for free. If this service isn’t available to you then this will likely get expensive.  There are many companies that specialize in offset printing ink disposal and it can be expensive because they use incineration methods to dispose of it.  Here is one. You must keep a record of waste disposal including all paperwork provided by your recycle company.  Government authorities come knocking from time to time to check on this.

  Introduction It's hard to imagine a world without the ability to print images and text on posters, but before Alois Senefelder's invention of lithography in 1796, printing was an expensive and labor-intensive process. For example, if you wanted to print your wedding invitations on parchment paper (which is made from animal hides), it would take months for a scribe or calligrapher to write everything out by hand then another month for the ink used during this time period had to dry before it could be sent off into the world. Alois Senefelder was born in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic, on November 6th, 1771. Alois Senefelder was born in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic, on November 6th, 1771. He was born under his real name Alois Senefelder and he was a playwright and artist. His work included "The Beggar's Opera" and "The English Opera." Senefelder was responsible for inventing lithography or stone-printing as it was al