For Printers

Printing Primer - Introduction
 

by: Jim Kohler
Principal Scientist
Graphics Arts Technology Group
International Paper

Everything you wanted to know about Printing
Especially Lithography Offset - but were afraid to ask!
Printing is a means of graphic communications. It is the reproduction of quantities of images, which can be seen or perceived visually. Regardless of the great number and variety of printed products they all have one thing in common; each has the same visible image produced in quantity.
Today’s printer owes much to the Age of Science, particularly to electronics, computers, chemistry, optics and mechanics. Modern printing has become highly sophisticated. While the mechanics of printing has not changed greatly, the surrounding other technologies have. As new pre-press systems, plate, electronic controls, and paper have been developed along with other products of modern science and research, printing has gradually been transformed from an art to a science. 

Introduction	Introduction
Printing History	History of Early Printing             Early Typsetting   History of the Printing Press      History of Lithography   History of Printing Ink                 The Future
Printing Methods	Introduction                                The Printing Press   Printing Process Work Flow       Letterpress   Flexography                               Gravure   Lithography                                Waterless Offset   Common Impression                   Electronic   Other Printing Methods
Lithography	History of Lithography               Offset Plate Technology   Offset Systems                          Dampening Systems   Ink Systems                                Ink   Fountain Solutions                      Blankets
Sheet-Fed Printing	Sheet-Fed Presses                    Perfecting   Registration Systems                 Print Units   Today's Automated Press          Delivery Units
Web-Offset Printing	Introduction                                 Heat-Set Web   Pasters                                       Cold-Set Web   Newspaper Presses
Troubleshooting	Heat-Set Web                              Sheet-Fed   Fountain