Task 7: Print Industry
By Matt Holley

Main Print Sectors
Hand
• Etching
• Linocut
• Screen print
• Woodcut
• Lithography
Mechanical
• Gravure
• Screen
process
• Letterpress
Digital
• Photocopying
• laser printing
• inkjet
• desktop
publishing
The main printing techniques are screen printing,
block printing and photocopying. Letterpress,
lithography, flexography, and gravure printing are
used in commercial manufacturing. Finishing
techniques enhance the final product.

Hand
Etching
• Method- Etching is the process of using strong acid or
mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal
surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal.
Advantages:
• It is a hard skill to learn but once mastered you can earn
lots of money
• The skill doesn’t revolve around a particular material or
colour
Disadvantages:
• Expensive depending on the materials used
• A lot of training required to get into the etching industry
Linocut
• A design carved in relief into a block
of linoleum
pattern, design, figure - a decorative or
artistic work.
Advantages:
• carving is enabled, printing is possible,
embossing is enabled, rubbing, tough
and sturdy, different surfaces, easy for
simple designs
Disadvantages:
• Mistakes are irreversible, it is not 3D,
you have to work hard to get texture,
hard to cut, limited colour application,
hard to clean, hard to get off hands,
long time to dry, Time consuming
Screen-printing
• The screen is made from a fine mesh
material fixed to a wooden frame. A
stencil is placed under the screen
and ink forced through the stencil
onto the material below. Screen
printing with stencils is best for
blocks of colour.
Advantages:
• Creates unique visual result
• Inks used are durable
• Vivid colours
• Flexible printing techniques
Disadvantages:
• Very time consuming
Woodcut
• Is a relief printing artistic technique in
printmaking where an image is carved into
the surface of some wood, with the
printing parts remaining level with the
surface while the non-printing parts are
removed, typically with gouges.
Advantages:
• Introduction of paper was a lot cheaper than
vellum
• Great for mass production
• Cheaper than metals
• Could be combined with movable type
Disadvantages:
• Can take a long time to carve, hours or even
days
• Difficult to carve small details
Lithography
• A printing technique by which the image to be printed is
fixed on a stone or metal plate with a combination of ink-
absorbent and ink-repellent vehicles.
Advantages:
• Fast print runs
• Images are clear and fast
Disadvantages:
• Cannot produce high quality prints
• Print quantity must be high
• Materials are difficult to use

Digital
Photocopying
• Most current photocopiers use a technology
called Xerography, a dry process that uses
electrostatic
charges on a light sensitive photoreceptor to
first attract and then transfer toner particles (a
powder)
onto paper in the form of a image.
Advantages:
• The process is fast
• It is also very cheap
Disadvantages:
• Lack of reliability
• Damaging to the environment
Laser Printing
Electrostatic printer that focuses a laser beam
to form images that are transferred to paper
electrostatically.
Advantages:
• Efficiency and speed
• Barely emit sound
• User friendly
Disadvantages:
• With the added benefits it makes them very
expensive
• Hazardous to the atmosphere and your
health
Ink Jet
• Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing
that creates a digital image by propelling
droplets of ink onto paper, plastic, or other
substrates.
Advantages:
• Lowest cost of printing on the market
• High quality images
• The printer doesn’t require a lot of time to
heat up before printing
Disadvantages:
• High cartridge cost
• Time confusing compared to laser printing
Desktop Publishing
• Desktop publishing (abbreviated DTP) is the
creation of documents using page layout skills on
a personal computer. Desktop publishing
software can generate layouts and produce
typographic quality text and images comparable
to traditional typography and printing.
Advantages:
• Cheap way for businesses to create quality
material inexpensively
• Option of better programs with more functions
Disadvantages:
• Requires knowledge to use the programs
• The better programs are more expensive

Mechanical
Gravure
In Gravure printing, the image is made up of
small holes sunk in the surface of the printing
plate. The holes are filled with ink and any
excess is removed. Paper comes into contact
with the ink in the holes when it is pressed
against the plate.
Advantages:
• Brilliant photographic quality, bright colours,
best possible appearance and highest
perceived value for your product.
Disadvantages:
• Its main disadvantage is the high cost and
the time needed to engrave gravure
cylinders.
Letterpress
This is a form of relief printing. In relief printing,
the parts to be printed are raised up from the
plate. Letterpress printing can be used to
produce both type and illustrations. It is used
for small printing jobs such as business cards
and stationary.
Advantages:
• Letterpress creates crisp, clear lines and bold
images
• High pigment level ink is used in printing to
create sharp images and typography.
Disadvantages:
• Slow process
• Colour isn’t always high quality
• Expensive
Screen process
A method in which image is transferred to the surface to be printed by means
of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stencilled screen stretched over a
frame. Glass, plastic, fabric and wood are popular materials on which to
screen-print.
Advantages:
•Unique visual results
•Inks are durable
•Can print on a large variety of materials
Disadvantages:
•Very time consuming
•Has to use batch production