What is Offset Printing, What is the Working Principle of the Offset Printing Machine

What is Offset Printing?

Offset printing is one of the newest printing systems. It has passed into Turkish as offset from the English word off-set. It is also known as color printing. In printing, it is defined as applying ink to rubber before paper. It is a printing system that emerged by modernizing and developing the stone printing method found and applied in 1799. The basic technique in offset printing is lithography. The principle of offset printing is that water and oil do not mix.

How is Offset Printing Done?

The image to be printed is drawn on a smooth limestone surface with oil-based ink. After the drawing process, a solution consisting of water, gum arabic, and acid is applied to the surface, and the surface is wiped with this solution using a sponge. The prepared solution is absorbed by the points on the surface where there is no drawing. However, the drawing area, where the image is located, does not absorb the prepared solution due to the oil. Thus, the area with the image to be printed and the other area are separated in the offset printing machine. After this, the printing process begins in the machine and is completed in a series.