1. Coco Mak 10S
There are a number of different ways of printing. Each
printing process has it’s own advantages and disad- Flexography Advantages and Disadvantages
vantages. They also have special applications that are Offset Lithography Process Advantages
1. Printing plate holds the image that needs to be Flexography Process
designed to make. Printing processes include: Photocopy-  High Speed
printed on its surface. Images is slightly stood 1. Ink is firstly rolled onto the inked rollers
ing, Offset Lithography, Flexography, Gravure and screen  Relatively cheap to set up
out from the plate surface 2. Then the ink transfers onto the plate cylinder as
printing.  Can print on same presses as letterpress
2. Printing plate has to be dampened. The ink is the inked roller and the plate cylinder rotates
Disadvantages
applied to the image area and not the dampened 3. The plate cylinder has various carvings
Photocopying Process  Difficult to reproduce fine detail
area 4. While the plate cylinder rotates the ink is
1. The cylindrical drum in the machine is charged. It  Colour may not be consistent
3. As the printing cylinder rotates the ink is trans- pressed onto the piece of paper
contains a coating that becomes conductive when
ferred to the rubber blanket cylinder. 5. The impression cylinder clips the piece of paper Gravure Process
exposed to light
4. The ink is now on the rubber blanket cylinder in the middle of the impression cylinder itself 1. An image is engraved into a copper
2. The white areas of the photocopied sheet is reflect-
which is then pressed onto the paper or card and and the plate cylinder printing plate creating cells which are
ed onto the drum while the parts that are not ex-
posed remain negative (dark) is pulled through the machine as the cylinders filled with a think spirit-based ink
3. Toners are added to the drum and is stuck to the turn. 2. The cells are filled with ink
negative (dark) parts 3. A blade is pulled across to remove any
4. The toner melts and is pressed onto paper by heat Offset Lithography Advantages and Disadvantages unnecessary ink
and pressure rollers Advantage 4. The paper is fed continuously through
5. The drum is then wiped clean by a rubber blade and  Can produce a lot of products in a small amount the press by a rubber covered cylinder
is ready to be used again of time 5. As it is fed, it is pressed into the cells to
 Can print high quality images on wide variety of pick up drops of ink to form the final
Photocopying Advantages and Disadvantages paper printed image
Advantages  Can print on both sides of paper and card 6. The spirit-based ink dries through evapo-
 Prints fast compared to other printing processes Disadvantage
ration immediately after printing
 Size can be adjusted  Colour Variation due to water/ ink mixture
 Quantity can be controlled  Paper can stretch due to dampening
Disadvantage
 High cost for photocopying machine
 Not all prints come out clearly
Gravure Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantage
 Consistent Colour
 High Speed
 Ink dries on evaporation
 Good results on cheaper paper
Disadvantage
 High costs of printing plates and cylinders
 Only good for long print runs
Screen Printing Process
1. Stencil is supported on a screen that is made out of syn-
Screen Printing Advantages and Disadvantages thetic fiber
Advantages 2. Then it is stretched tightly over a frame
 Economical for short runs 3. Thick ink is spread across the screen using a rubber
Sha Tin College
 Stencils easy to produce squeegee forcing the ink through the screen and the
 Can print on any material stencil ‘s printing area on to the paper
Disadvantages 4. Non-printing area of the stencil stops the ink from pass-
Graphic Design 

Difficult to achieve fine detail
Low Output 5.
ing through it
Prevents the background from being printed
 Print requires long drying time