How many different types of printing do you know? How about any of the following:
Woodblock printing, movable type, intaglio (printmaking), printing press, etching, mezzotint, relief printing, aquatint, lithography, chromolithography, rotary press, hectograph, offset printing, hot metal typesetting, mimeograph, daisy wheel printing, photostat and rectigraph, screen printing, spirit duplicator, dot matrix printing, xerography, spark printing, phototypesetting, inkjet printing, dye-sublimation, laser printing, thermal printing, solid ink printing, thermal-transfer printing, 3D printing, digital printing.
Yeah, there’s a lot of them! So in today’s blog we’ll be looking at what the most common and fundamental forms of printing are…
Block printing
Earliest use: 220 AD
How it works: Carved slabs of wood
What it’s used for: It is now used for artwork but was used to print verses of religious texts
Letterpress printing
(aka movable type)
Earliest use: c.1040
How it works: Small blocks placed together
What it’s used for: This method was used for all printing from newspapers to books but is now mostly used for historical purposes or artwork
FACT: Letters that aren’t capitalised are called ‘lower case’ as in the early printing days those letters were kept in the lower drawer cases
Lithography
Earliest use: 1796
How it works: This method initially used chemicals to create negative and positive reactions to generate the image but it is now referred to as offset/litho printing whereby the image is transferred to the metal plates by laser imaging (CTP – computer to plate) and offset by rubber rolls or blankets
What it’s used for: Maps, books, packaging, posters, newspapers in large batches
Screen printing
Earliest use: 1907
How it works: The image is transferred to a thin mesh which is formed like a stencil and then ink is pushed across the mesh
What it’s used for: Printing onto fabrics and paper in small batches
Flexography
Earliest use: 1890
How it works: A raised or 3D image is input onto a rubber or polymer material, ink is rolled onto the 3D image, then when the paper/item is pressed into it the image is transferred
What it’s used for: Typically it’s used for packaging such as labels, bags, and boxes
FACT: The earliest known printed book is the Jikji, which was printed in 1377, and contains the teachings of the Buddhist Sages and Seon Masters
Laser printing
Earliest use: 1969
How it works: Laser printers use a form of xerographic process by running a laser beam over a negatively charged drum. The printer then applies toner to the drum and is heated to form the final image.
What it’s used for: Small and large format printing of commercial or personal printing
Digital printing
Earliest use: 1993
How it works: This is a cost effective form of printing in that the printer inputs the image directly from the computer
What it’s used for: Small or large format printing of on demand commercial or personal printing
3D printing
Earliest use: 1986
How it works: A liquid, plastic or powder mixture is solidified under computer control to create a three dimensional shape
What it’s used for: To print anything from food for space travel and parts for machines to lightsabers and 3D figurines – and we’re only just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what 3D printing can really do for us as scientists are now working on printing human tissue and bone!
FACT: NASA is using 3D printers to make buildings for the moon
If you’d be interested in knowing about the other, lesser known forms of printing, leave us a comment and we’ll add it to our to do list 😁
Additionally, if you enjoyed the facts included in this week’s blogs be sure to check out our social media where we post a fun fact every Friday – you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn!
For more information on the above and other forms of printing you can check out the ‘history of printing’ Wikipedia.
