Advantages of offset Printing Compared to Other Printing Methods

Below are the advantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods:

· Consistent high image quality. Offset printing produces sharp and clean images and type more easily than, for example, letterpress printing. This is because the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface.

· Longer printing plate life than on direct litho presses because there is no direct contact between the plate and the printing surface. Properly developed plates used with optimized inks and fountain solution may achieve run lengths of more than a million impressions;

· Quick and easy production of printing plates;

· Offset printing is the cheapest method for producing high quality prints in commercial printing quantities;

· Ability to adjust the amount of ink on the fountain roller with screw keys. Most commonly, a metal blade controls the amount of ink transferred from the ink trough to the fountain roller. By adjusting the screws, the operator alters the gap between the blade and the fountain roller, increasing or decreasing the amount of ink applied to the roller in certain areas. This consequently modifies the density of the colour in the respective area of the image. On older machines one adjusts the screws manually, but on modern machines the screw keys are operated electronically by the printer controlling the machine, enabling a much more precise result.