When choosing a printing service, you must bear in mind what kind of project you want to complete. Different printing professionals specialise in different printing jobs. It is smart to enquire about the range of services a professional offers before enlisting them to work for you. Here is a list of the common types of printing services.

Offset Lithography and Digital Printing

Offset lithography is used for rough-surface media like canvas, cloth and wood. It can also be used for papers, books and stationery. Offset printing is popular for mass production printing. This method involves aluminium plates that bear an image of what is to be printed. The aluminium plates should be offset onto rubber blankets before being produced onto the print media. The material of the rubber blankets makes lithography best suited for any media that has rough surfaces.

Digital printing is another service where a digital-based image is reproduced on a surface such as film, paper, plastic or cloth. Printing services use inkjet and xerography technologies to produce high volume of digital printouts. Digital printing prevents paper and chemical waste and is suited for printing posters, signage and books.

Screen Printing and Flexography

Screen printing produces sharp-edged images through the use of stencils. The screen is a fabric that extends over a frame. The expert uses a stencil to mark the images that are going to be printed. Screen printing is commonly used for creating garments. However, this technique is also used to print many other items as well.

Graphic screen printing creates large graphics to be used for displays or posters. There is another form of screen printing known as silk screening. This form of printing is used to create images on DVDs, glass, ceramics, T-shirts, and metal items.

Flexography is used by printing services to label grocery bags, wallpaper, gift wrap, magazines and newspaper inserts. This technology has become popular for printing on various surfaces. With this method, the expert uses flexible plates which are fixed onto a printing dish. Flexography evolved from the ancient letter printing method and is preferred for its high speeds and ability to print on a wide range of media including cellophane, metallic film and plastic.

Summing It Up

Before you choose a printing expert, it is advisable to determine what kind of services they offer. The range of services offered by printing professionals ranges from offset lithography to flexography. Research which technology is best suited for your project before choosing a service provider.