After the succeed of the previous article about Printing Engineering in Indonesian, so i decide to make one with English. Perhaps, my little knowledge will make you smarter.
Printing Engineering is subject of work, engineering, and Industry in this world. It has main purpose : To print information on any substrate. Printing the information is including graphic, visual, text etc.
If i can explain the printing engineering is fusion of art, engineering, physic and chemistry. It's all about how we print the graphic or any information on the substrate such as clothes, papers, polymers (plastic), packaging and even on ceramics and we must could make a good packaging to protect the main product inside.
There are so many technique to print something on any substrate. Such as Offset Printing, Flexography, Rotogravure, Screen Printing and Digital Printing. I believe in this modern world, there are still some technique that i couldn't mention it one by one.
But as we know, most people in the world, just want to know about last products of printing engineering are books, magazines, newspapers, etc. We print on any substrate. Also, Our work must could make the good packaging of any product such as food and beverage, electronic gadget, fashion item, even the dangerous material such as poison. We do not make the poison, we are the creator of poison packaging. I believe, the packaging function is more than protect its main product inside. The packaging must could attract the consumer and give enough information about the main product.
But in this article, i want to share my little knowledge about printing engineering because i am the alumnus of Printing Engineering major.
Let's start with some different technique of printing,
1. Offset Printing
Offset printing is a technique of printing that often used by printing engineer all around the globe. The offset printing needs thin plate to receive ink (oil based) and water to divide image areas and non-image areas. On the plate's surface there are two parts of areas, the blue areas is Ink (oil based) receiver or commonly called image areas, and silver (non-blue) areas is non-image areas. The image areas is called oleophilic and the non-image areas is called hydrophilic. After the plate receive the ink, it will transfer to the next roller called rubber roller, and then the rubber roller will transfer again or print on the surface of paper.
Offset printing have so many last product such as book, newspaper, Al-Qur'an, bible, magazine, folding box etc.
2. Rotogravure
Rotogravure or shortly called roto is a type of intaglio printing process. Rotogravure use the engraved cylinder as image carrier. The digital data such as picture will processed into engraved cylinder as image carrier. The engraved parts is image areas / ink receiver and the non-engraved parts as non-image areas. And then, the engraved cylinder will directly print on the substrate's surface such as plastic (polymer), aluminium, paper, pvc etc.
Rotogravure uses water-based ink, this ink is different than offset printing. Offset printing uses oil-based ink.
Most of rotogravure's last products are packaging of snacks, shampoos, soaps, bottle's labels etc.
3. Flexography
Flexography or shortly called flexo is a technique of printing process. The flexo printing process is opposite to the roto, especially on the plate surface. If roto image carrier (shortly called image cylinder) is engraved (the non-image areas are higher than image areas), but the flexo image areas are higher than the non-image areas.
The flexography plate is using polymer (rubber-like) and we could say flexography printing process is just like stamp, but in mass production version.
Flexography printing process uses an unique cylinder/roller called anilox that have a function to carry the inks from fountain roller (the roller half-inside ink tray) to plate cylinder. The anilox cylinder is just like engraved cylinder in roto. After the plate cylinder has ink on its surface, the plate cylinder will directly print on the surface of substrate. The common substrates that used in flexo are plastics, metallic films, cellophane, paper, etc. The last products of this printing technique are food packaging, liquid soap packaging, corrugated board (box), etc.
4. Screen Printing
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses screen to filtering the ink to become an image, text or any visuals design. Most last product of screen printing is designed clothes because the common substrates of screen printing are textiles, clothes, ceramics, plastics (polymer), and papers.
I will describe screen printing process on the clothes or textiles.
What we need are:
a. Screen or most commonly called mesh. The screen printers use a silk screen to print on the surface of the substrate. Commonly, the silk screen is framed by wood or aluminium.
b. Squeegee or rubberblade to sweep or fill the ink onto the open mesh that moved across the screen.
c. Table as a pad to put substrate and help the printing process.
d. Dryer is used for drying the photo-emulsion on the screen/mesh surface.
e. Emulsion
f. Tape
g. The Ink (there are 2 types of ink, the textile ink and non-textile ink)
The process :
a. Edit the visual design in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator and print it on tracing paper. The purpose on this process is making the design as filter of ink on the mesh surfaces.
b. And when the screen or mesh is ready to use, it is suggested to be clean and make sure the mesh is free from any dirts or other particles.
c. Fill the mesh surfaces with the photo-emulsion liquid carefully, and make sure the room is dark and no light. But, make sure in this process still help you to see and control the process without any light in room. And make sure the photo-emulsion is cover the mesh surfaces and then dry with the dryer or fan till the photo-emulsion is hard enough or be rubber-like screen on mesh surfaces.
d. Ready the design that printed on tracing paper, and put the design mirrorly (if the real design or picture on tracing paper is a guy who shakes his left hand, so you must put mirror, make this guy shakes his right hand. The reason is, while you once print on the surface, make sure the guy is shaking his left hand, not the right hand. Just based like real design) on the mesh. Make sure the design is transferred to the photo-emulsioned mesh excellently. (Expose process, can use the sun light within 5-7 seconds if it is hot enough, or you could use the ultra-violet lamp).
e. Pour several ink behind the mesh (preferably at top side), and put the clothe onto table. Don't forget the squeegee to move the mesh down to the substrate and pushes the squeegee to the rear of the screen. The ink that is in the mesh opening is pumped or squeezed by capillary action to the substrate in a controlled and prescribed amount, i.e. the wet ink deposit is proportional to the thickness of the mesh and or stencil. As the squeegee moves toward the rear of the screen the tension of the mesh pulls the mesh up away from the substrate (called snap-off) leaving the ink upon the substrate surface.
f. Repeat the 'e' process to print more than one clothes.
g. After all the process done, you could clean the mesh from photo-emulsion with chlorine.
4.1 Sublime Printing
In my opinion and the concept of this printing process, the sublime printing process is using the printed paper with some visuals design and then the printed paper will transfer the design to the other substrate, such as clothes by the heat of the machine. The same substrate like clothes make this process is disambiguation of screen printing process because the most-use same substrate. But, the sublime printing process is a part of digital printing process.
In my opinion and the concept of this printing process, the sublime printing process is using the printed paper with some visuals design and then the printed paper will transfer the design to the other substrate, such as clothes by the heat of the machine. The same substrate like clothes make this process is disambiguation of screen printing process because the most-use same substrate. But, the sublime printing process is a part of digital printing process.
5. Digital Printing
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small-run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large-format and/or high-volume laser or inkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods, but this price is usually offset by avoiding the cost of all the technical steps required to make printing plates. It also allows for on-demand printing, short turnaround time, and even a modification of the image (variable data) used for each impression. The savings in labor and the ever-increasing capability of digital presses means that digital printing is reaching the point where it can match or supersede offset printing technology's ability to produce larger print runs of several thousand sheets at a low price.
Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small-run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large-format and/or high-volume laser or inkjet printers. Digital printing has a higher cost per page than more traditional offset printing methods, but this price is usually offset by avoiding the cost of all the technical steps required to make printing plates. It also allows for on-demand printing, short turnaround time, and even a modification of the image (variable data) used for each impression. The savings in labor and the ever-increasing capability of digital presses means that digital printing is reaching the point where it can match or supersede offset printing technology's ability to produce larger print runs of several thousand sheets at a low price.
The greatest difference between digital printing and traditional methods such as lithography, flexography, gravure, or letterpress is that there is no need to replace printing plates in digital printing, whereas in analog printing the plates are repeatedly replaced. This results in quicker turnaround time and lower cost when using digital printing, but typically a loss of some fine-image detail by most commercial digital printing processes. The most popular methods include inkjet or laser printers that deposit pigment or toner onto a wide variety of substrates including paper, photo paper, canvas, glass, metal, marble, and other substances.
The example of other process of digital printing is sublime printing process.
6. Other Printing Process
The process including how the image or design is transferred onto substrate that not only on the mass production, but in small production and even more simple, such as:
a. Water Transfer Printing Process
b. Stamp
Etc.
The process including how the image or design is transferred onto substrate that not only on the mass production, but in small production and even more simple, such as:
a. Water Transfer Printing Process
b. Stamp
Etc.
References and image source :
Private Documentary
Private Documentary
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_printing
https://www.seekpng.com/ipng/u2e6t4q8a9r5i1e6_how-to-screen-print-a-t-shirt-infographic/
http://boxcartonmakingmachine.blogspot.com/2016/02/flexo-printing-process-of-corrugated.html
http://s-lane1114-dc.blogspot.com/2012/10/design-production-print-processes_21.html
https://www.seekpng.com/ipng/u2e6t4q8a9r5i1e6_how-to-screen-print-a-t-shirt-infographic/
http://boxcartonmakingmachine.blogspot.com/2016/02/flexo-printing-process-of-corrugated.html
http://s-lane1114-dc.blogspot.com/2012/10/design-production-print-processes_21.html
http://www.mcclabel.com/rotogravure
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-sublimation-printing-process
http://splussdesign.com/printing/photos/Gallery/Digital.html
https://www.macrokun.com/product/Aluminum-screen-printing-screens/113.html
https://www.macrokun.com/product/Aluminum-screen-printing-screens/113.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/613896992929182603/?%24ios_deeplink_path=pinterest%3A%2F%2Fpin%2F613896992929182603&%24android_deeplink_path=pinterest%3A%2F%2Fpin%2F613896992929182603&_client_id=amp-poK7q3sB219BrkuomFetsw&utm_source=168&utm_medium=2160¤t_page_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F613896992929182603%2F&install_id=79eb0f617aa941ea84b088bb26e74bc9&%24fallback_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F613896992929182603%2F%23details&_branch_match_id=762300269271260821#details
Comments
Post a Comment