Printing Technology

To: Mrs. A. Garner, Head of Administration

From: Holly Smith

Date: 19^th July 2012

Report into printed materials for ‘Top Notes’ award ceremony

I have been asked to research three printed products for this event: posters, invitations for award winners’ work. 30 posters would be sufficient for the university site.

Requirements:

Posters- should be designed by an art student and reflect the creative nature of the award winners’ work. 30 posters would be sufficient for the university site. 

Invitations- should have a high quality feel to them as this is the most prestigious award the department gives each year. There will be 40 award winners and 25 VIP guests

The programme is only a running order and can be mass printed on A5 paper. 300 should be enough to cover the largest number of guests expected.

Print technology and cost

I have investigated five different print technologies, of which four might be suitable. I can recommend the following as the best for each task.

 Intaglio- In the form of intaglio printing called etching, the plate is covered in a resin ground or an acid-resistant wax material. Using an etching needle, or a similar tool, the image is engraved into the ground, revealing the plate underneath. The plate is then dipped into acid. The acid bites into the surface of the plate where it was exposed. Biting is a printmaking term to describe the acid's etching, or incising, of the image^. After the plate is sufficiently bitten, the plate is removed from the acid bath, and the ground is removed to prepare for the next step in printing

Letterpress- Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image. Chinese first invented movable type. It was the normal form of printing text from its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century. In addition to the direct impression of inked movable type onto paper or another receptive surface, letterpress is also the direct impression of inked printmaking blocks such as photo-etched zinc "cuts" (plates), linoleum blocks, wood engravings, etc., using such a press.^{[citation needed]}
In the 21st century, commercial letterpress has been revived by the use of 'water-wash' photopolymer plates that are adhered to a near-type-high base to produce a relief printing surface typically from digitally-rendered art and typography.

Linocut or woodcut and letter press printer- Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.
Although linoleum as a floor covering dates to the 1860s, the linocut printing technique was used first by the artists of Die Brücke in Germany between 1905–13 where it had been similarly used for wallpaper printing. They initially described their prints as woodcuts however, which sounded more respectable.
As the material being carved has no particular direction to its grain and does not tend to split, it is easier to obtain certain artistic effects with lino than with most woods, although the resultant prints can lack the often angular grainy character of woodcuts and engravings. Lino is much easier to cut than wood, especially when heated, but the pressure of the printing process degrades the plate faster and it is difficult to create larger works due to the material's fragility.
Offset Printing- Offset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat (planographic) image carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based film (called "fountain solution"), keeping the non-printing areas ink-free.
Development of the offset press came in two versions: in 1875 by Robert Barclay of England for printing on tin and in 1903 by Ira Washington Ruble of the United States for printing on paper
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