Offset printing provides another printing effect for manufacturers and their customers to evaluate and choose. This process is different from flexo printing, as the print quality is often useful in image-focused industries.
Offset printing and flexo printing can also be used for label production, but the method is different. Although the use of flexo printing is more common among narrow-width manufacturers, offset printing has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. One of the great advantages of offset printing is that quality usually outperforms flexo printing, and it is becoming increasingly demanded in a market dedicated to meeting excessive customer demand.
Offset printing uses a more complex system to transfer ink to the substrate: a long ink cart consisting of many rollers. In contrast to the flexographic printing plate, the front side of the offset printing plate is the desired printed image. In offset printing, the roller containing the offset printing plate transfers ink to the blanket, and a roller with a rubber layer. The required printed image is on the reverse side of the blanket. So the blanket transfers the ink to the substrate, just printing the desired image on the substrate.
Flexo uses ink, just as human consumption of milk must last long. Offset plates made of nylon or plastic are dipped directly in the ink plate to get the ink. The ink is transferred directly to the substrate or paper. Offset printing ink is a paste-like ink, a heavier quality ink. Need to use a more sophisticated system to make it flat. The ink is guided by an aluminum printing plate and transferred to the blanket material. The blanket transmits ink to the substrate. "
The maximum precision of flexo printing is 170 to 180dpi, while offset printing can reach 200 to 350dpi. Therefore, offset printing is simpler than flexo printing, and the cost is lower. However, UV drying must be used in offset printing. In flexo printing, it can be used regardless of hot air or UV drying.
Ink flow rate is another aspect of flexo and offset printing. The flow of ink in flexo printing is controlled by the ink volume of the anilox roller. This factor is selected based on the paper surface and the desired printed image. In offset printing, the flow of ink is controlled by screws (also called buttons) in the ink reservoir. The button adjusts the amount of ink allowed to enter the ink cart for printing.
If a locking system is used on the offset plate and a mounting device with a camera is used on the flexo plate, the preparation time for flexo and offset printing is the same. The printing speed of the two technologies is equally high, about 100 to 200 meters per minute (1000 feet per minute).
Advantages of offset printing
The most commonly mentioned advantage of offset printing is better printing quality. Compared with flexo printing, offset printing has more dots and the optical density is more uniform on each inch of printed matter.
Regarding the accuracy of the flexo surface, the print quality can usually be seen from 3% to 98%, while offset printing is better, from 0% to 100%.
In the initial cost of a new project, offset printing has a greater advantage; compared with flexographic printing plates or gravure cylinders, the cost of offset printing plates is very low. At the same time, the average production time for offset plates is only 10 minutes, which is surprisingly short compared to flexo printing. These all mean that you can start a new project immediately.
Easy operation is another advantage. Jakob Landberg, sales and marketing director of Nilpeter, the world's leading narrow-format printing machine manufacturer in Slagelse, Denmark, explained, "I usually say that even a sloppy printer can print excellent quality on offset-but In flexo printing and UV flexo printing, you have to do 100% of your best. "He also said that the offset press has high durability and is very suitable for repeating and long orders.
Niu Botai MO line combination printing machine (flexible printing, offset printing, gravure printing, silk printing, hot and cold bronzing and other units can be combined freely)
Flexo printing needs to separate many color points. In offset printing you can print 10% black silk screen and dark black text on the same plate. This means that the eight-color flexo printing machine is just a five-color or six-color offset printing machine. Installation time is also reduced. Instead of changing eight colors, you only need to change one or two special colors.
challenge
There is no perfect process, and offset printing is no exception.
The first challenge is how can your printer better control the printing press? This process is different from flexo printing and requires some people to get used to it slowly. This is a definite learning curve, but if there is good training, there will be no problems.
The second challenge is to use offset printing technology on flexible non-absorbent substrates, such as plastics, polyolefins or adhesive substrates. The disadvantage of web offset printing is that the printing size is fixed.
Printing cylinders with printing unit inserts corresponding to other printing lengths are a viable option but they are relatively expensive. "
Another way to solve the problem is to use half-rotation technology, also known as intermittent paper feeding. On an offset press that uses half-rotation technology, the substrate will not continue to move forward. It will intermittently move backwards so that blank areas can also be used for printing to reduce waste.
The disadvantage of half-rotation technology is the slowdown. In intermittent movement, the speed of the printing press is limited compared to the rotary printing press. Our maximum speed is 150 feet per minute. This technique is very suitable for short and medium orders. Because the task change becomes more flexible than on a rotary press. When you have to print 10 tasks with 20,000 labels each, speed is not the most important factor, and task replacement is a more basic principle. The third possible solution is to use sleeves with a fixed printing size. For 10 years, rotary offset printing has not attracted the attention of flexible packaging and label manufacturers because you have to change a whole set of printing unit plug-ins (heavier and more expensive) to change a repeat length. When new technology is introduced, you only need to change two very light weight sleeves to change a repeat length. This has led to manufacturers of flexible packaging and labels that require repeat lengths in production becoming more interested in offset printing.
Some of the challenges of offset printing are probably the expectations of increasing perfection. Customers expect better quality, so better quality is needed. Everyone spends more time installing to ensure the quality is achieved.
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