Silksc reen Printin g
Silk-screen Printing
Silk-screen printing is a very simple, versatile and direct printing process. It can be used to print onto almost kind of substrate, even curved or uneven surfaces. One of the most enjoyable aspects of silk-screen printing is that you can mix the inks yourself. You can mix thick and opaque deposits of ink in brilliant saturated colours with high chemical & abrasion resistance.
Silk-screen printing high volume printing method because each colour that is applied to the substrate has to dry before another can be applied.
If you are using more than two colours or printing a folour colour imageyou will have to manually align the design. It’s also not recommended for half tones because of the possibility of a moire pattern. This printing process can be quite labour intesive, especially if you are using resources at leeds College of Art. Also, it can be quite difficult reserving a screen when you need to especially during the build up to deadlines.
To meet the rise in popularity of screen printing in recent years, many artist’ studios such as New York’s Lower east side Printshop and the UK’s Print Club London, are now allowing public access to equipment in exchange for a
nominal membership fee. Galleries and art fairs worldwide are recognising the demand for screen printed work, with new screen print specific events every year.
Samples 1. Nitibusc idiassi dunt harum quia vende cone. 2. Ximus. Vitist est expelle stibusc imusae nos d. 3. El inctempos con experibus, sa denditis et fuga.
Offse t Lithog raphy Offset lithography is a high volume and speedy process that produces consistently clean results. Sheet fed, offset litho presses are typically four-colour - this can mean you can print with less than four colour plates which can save you money. Offset web litho presses use a continuous roll of paper - this allows an even higher printing volume than sheet fed, saving you money and time. Prints effectively on wide range of stock. It’s not much more expensive to print more copies.
The ink is translucent and is prone to more problems than in other print processes. Higher initial set up cost than digital print. There is not Offest Litho Printer at Leeds College of Art so you will have to go elsewhere for a quote. The process requires a digital workflow from you as a designer and it can be confusing getting your document set up perfectly.
CTP (Computer -to-plate) is a process that creates a printing plate directly from an electronic file, rather than producing one from printing film. The use of CTP does open up advanced printing possibilities. As the plates are made directly from electronic files rather than film, there is one less process involved, which means a higher resolution is possible. This transfer is also carried out in a sterile environment that reduces contamination from dust and environmental factor.
Sheet fed, offset litho presses are typically four-colour
Ink Pyramid
Fountain
Plate Cylinder
Stream Feeder
Blanket Cylinder Delivery
Impression Cylinder
Web-fed Offset litho presses use a continuous roll of paper, which allow an even high printing volume Web Path Ink Pyramid
Reel
Fountain
Ink Pyramid
Plate Cylinder Blanket Cylinder
Plate Cylinder Blanket Cylinder
To kite folder
Fountain
Digita l(Inkje t) Printin g Cost-effective for short runs this means that if you make a mistake it will not be very expensive in comparison. Very fast turnaround - which is perfect for when you are under tight time restrictions from a brief.
The software you use before printing such as InDesign will information on pagination which can help you when you come to binding your publication. This software can also print crop marks, bleeds and can help you with colour management to ensure your design come out as you need it.
The digital printing process can require expensive machinery and consumables However these all provided high quality, versatile inkjet printers are provided at Leeds College of Art. The process requires a digital workflow from you as a designer and it can be confusing getting your document set up perfectly.
Paper Feed
Bypass Tray
ess Letter pr You can create wonderfully textured and indented prints which can add value and uniqueness to your design. One of the defects of letterpress printing is that the impression from the raised surface varies every time it is pressed against a substrate, giving the characters a uniqueness where each print is subtly different. You can scan in your print and reproduce the print in offset lithography to create multiple copies of it
Etching your design or typesetting and printing using the letterpress can be a very tricky and time consuming process. It’s a labour intensive process. There is only a few hand-set metal typefaces available in specific points sizes in the print resources at Leeds College of Art. You have to clean up after yourself.
Letterpress is a method of relief printing whereby an inked, raised surface is pressed against the substrate. It was the first form of commercial printing, and much print-specific technologies derived from it. The raised sur-
face that makes the impression is typically made from the pieces of type, but photo-engraved plates can also be used. Letterpress printing can often be identified by the slight indentation made into the substrate.
presssure applied by screw or lever
Ink Rollers
Paper Forme Bed
Linocu t Printin g A straight forward printing technique which allows you to create a good quality print in a relatively short space of time. You don’t need many materials for the process and they are all provided within the resources at Leeds College of Art. You can even take your deign home and create carve your image on lino there. The materials you need to buy for this printing process are relatively cheap.
It’s trickier to create a multiple colour print and the least amount of colours the easier it is. Images have to be hand carved, although you can use the laser cutter to engrave your image first. It’s only really used for short runs, however this can add value to your design. Intricate design/ small serif fonts are difficult to hand carve your self. Also, large designs will take far more time to carve and require a lot of concentration.
Linocut is a type of relief printing which uses a material called linoleum. It inked an mounted on to a piece of wood. The wood is then pressed against a substrate, and must be re-inked for every impression. A wave of high profile
artists began producing linocuts in the midnineteenth century. However, in many in the art community renounced the method, saying the process lacked challange due to its simplicity and ease of carving. Thankfully, the mavericks experimental nature of a new
group of artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, saw linocut elevated to an established set form during the 1950s. Today, linocuts are once again an extremely popular form of printmaking. Linoleum has many advantages, offering a straight forward printing technique that is without significant financial cost or health risk.
Risogr a ph Printin g You get as similar printing quality to screen printing but the the process is done digitally, so you miss manually coating and exposing your screen and also printing the ink yourself. Similar to Offset litho the set up cost is the most expensive but it means that it’s cheaper than digital printing over long runs.
It can be quite expensive for short run prints due to the set up cost. You can only print with one colour each time your substrate goes through the printer and any risographic printers will only have a set number of colours you can use. It’s a lot more difficult to print using multiple colours due to alignment being the trickiest part of this process. This means that four colour printing will be hard to achieve. There are no risographic printers at leeds College of Art so you’ll have to look elsewhere for a quote.
Risograph printers are stencil duplicator, which means they print in similar process to screen printing and create a similar effect. Colour are printed one at a time, which they can be layered to create an overprinting effect. This also means that registration is never perfect. Risograph is a highspeed digital printing
system designed for single colour print runs up to about 5,000 sheets. When printing or copying multiple quantities (generally more than 50) of the same original, it is typically far less expensive per page than a conventional photocopier, laser printer, or inkjet printer.
PAD Printin g