2. Main Print Sectors
Hand
• Etching
• Linocut
• Screen print
• Woodcut
• Lithography
Mechanical
• Gravure
• Screen
process
• Letterpress
Digital
• Photocopying
• laser printing
• inkjet
• desktop
publishing
The main printing techniques are screen printing,
block printing and photocopying. Letterpress,
lithography, flexography, and gravure printing are
used in commercial manufacturing. Finishing
techniques enhance the final product.
3. Hand
Etching
Method- Etching is the process of using strong acid or
mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal
surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal.
Advantages:
It is a hard skill to learn but once mastered you can earn
lots of money
• The skill doesn’t revolve around a particular material or
colour
Disadvantages:
• Expensive depending on the materials used
• A lot of training required to get into the etching industry
Linocut
• A design carved in relief into a
block of linoleum
pattern, design, figure - a decorative or
artistic work.
Advantages:
• carving is enabled, printing is
possible, embossing is enabled,
rubbing, tough and sturdy, different
surfaces, easy for simple designs
Disadvantages:
• Mistakes are irreversible, it is not 3D,
you have to work hard to get texture,
hard to cut, limited colour application,
hard to clean, hard to get off hands,
long time to dry, Time consuming
Screen-printing
• The screen is made from a fine
mesh material fixed to a wooden
frame. A stencil is placed under the
screen and ink forced through the
stencil onto the material below.
Screen printing with stencils is best
for blocks of colour.
Advantages:
• Creates unique visual result
• Inks used are durable
• Vivid colours
• Flexible printing techniques
Disadvantages:
• Very time consuming
Woodcut
• Is a relief printing artistic technique in
printmaking where an image is carved
into the surface of some wood, with the
printing parts remaining level with the
surface while the non-printing parts are
removed, typically with gouges.
Advantages:
• Introduction of paper was a lot cheaper
than vellum
• Great for mass production
• Cheaper than metals
• Could be combined with movable type
Disadvantages:
• Can take a long time to carve, hours or
even days
• Difficult to carve small details
Lithography
• A printing technique by which the image to be printed is
fixed on a stone or metal plate with a combination of
ink-absorbent and ink-repellent vehicles.
Advantages:
• Fast print runs
• Images are clear and fast
Disadvantages:
• Cannot produce high quality prints
• Print quantity must be high
• Materials are difficult to use
4. Digital
Photocopying
• Most current photocopiers use a
technology called Xerography, a dry
process that uses electrostatic
charges on a light sensitive photoreceptor to
first attract and then transfer toner particles
(a powder)
onto paper in the form of a image.
Advantages:
• The process is fast
• It is also very cheap
Disadvantages:
• Lack of reliability
• Damaging to the environment
Laser Printing
Electrostatic printer that focuses a laser
beam to form images that are transferred to
paper electrostatically.
Advantages:
• Efficiency and speed
• Barely emit sound
• User friendly
Disadvantages:
• With the added benefits it makes them
very expensive
• Hazardous to the atmosphere and your
health
Ink Jet
• Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing
that creates a digital image by propelling
droplets of ink onto paper, plastic, or other
substrates.
Advantages:
• Lowest cost of printing on the market
• High quality images
• The printer doesn’t require a lot of time to
heat up before printing
Disadvantages:
• High cartridge cost
• Time confusing compared to laser printing
Desktop Publishing
• Desktop publishing (abbreviated DTP) is the
creation of documents using page layout skills
on a personal computer. Desktop publishing
software can generate layouts and produce
typographic quality text and images
comparable to traditional typography and
printing.
Advantages:
• Cheap way for businesses to create quality
material inexpensively
• Option of better programs with more functions
Disadvantages:
• Requires knowledge to use the programs
• The better programs are more expensive
5. Mechanical
Gravure
In Gravure printing, the image is made up of
small holes sunk in the surface of the
printing plate. The holes are filled with ink
and any excess is removed. Paper comes
into contact with the ink in the holes when it
is pressed against the plate.
Advantages:
• Brilliant photographic quality, bright
colours, best possible appearance and
highest perceived value for your product.
Disadvantages:
• Its main disadvantage is the high cost
and the time needed to engrave gravure
cylinders.
Letterpress
This is a form of relief printing. In relief
printing, the parts to be printed are raised up
from the plate. Letterpress printing can be
used to produce both type and illustrations. It
is used for small printing jobs such as
business cards and stationary.
Advantages:
• Letterpress creates crisp, clear lines and
bold images
• High pigment level ink is used in printing to
create sharp images and typography.
Disadvantages:
• Slow process
• Colour isn’t always high quality
• Expensive
Screen process
A method in which image is transferred to the surface to be printed by
means of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stencilled screen
stretched over a frame. Glass, plastic, fabric and wood are popular
materials on which to screen-print.
Advantages:
•Unique visual results
•Inks are durable
•Can print on a large variety of materials
Disadvantages:
•Very time consuming
•Has to use batch production
