Monday 1 June 2015

Offset Printing: A Very Brief History

Offset Printing Dubai
Offset printing, a technique employing the use of various materials to reproduce printed material (mainly artwork in the early times), originally is the result of a mistake, when printer Ira Washington Rubel of New Jersey, in 1901 forgot to load a sheet of paper in a then-popular lithography machine which resulted to a much clearer and sharper output. Further refinement, and combination with the popular method, led to the development of the first known offset printing machine used for paper by the Potter Company in New York in 1903. And by 1907, Rubel's offset letter press was used in San Francisco. Also a note of interest here is its counterpart used for printing on tin, which was perfected by Robert Barclay in 1875.

From the Papers of California, to the World


From its simple beginnings to what it is today, offset printing has become a very crucial player in the industrial world: We see them on literally almost anything! From promotional brochures, to educational pamphlets, labels on food and many other items like buckets and flower pots, (from the seemingly most trivial, to the totally out-of-this-world items), offset printing has indeed made its mark!

How it Works


Offset printing generally begins with a person's chosen inked image from a plate (that can also be referred to as a template), which is then transferred to a rubberized blanket, and then subsequently transferred (or offset) to a predetermined printing surface. The most common type, derived from the process of photo offset printing, uses light-sensitive chemicals and other photographic techniques to achieve the client's desired outcome. Two main types of plates have been used in this process: the metal plates, usually of aluminum, can sometimes be made of plastic, paper or a mixture of various lightweight and cost-effective materials, or polyester plates that is more commonly used for medium quality job orders or small format projects. On the other hand, various materials such as paper, cloth, plastic, and even tin has been on the receiving end of this wonderful process. Dubai, a vast city of highly modernized infrastructure, is home to Offset Printing Dubai, a very important player in virtually any type of commercial and business industry today.

Offset Printing in the Modern Times


From its simplest outputs to its highly specialized products, offset printing has indeed come a very long way from its humble beginnings... Talk about a mistake turning into something else, right? It has evolved into many various forms like the keyless offset, variable-size printing and the blanket-to-steel type, has been modified to suit its various applications in the industrial giant that is Dubai.

To date, Offset Printing Dubai offers the widest range of services tailor-fitted for the globally competitive entrepreneur. From mass production of promotional materials, educational pamphlets, and even to its industrial and commercial uses (like printing on cans and bottles), to its much more smaller target clients (small-to-medium-scale businesses), its highly versatile nature has been employed by millions, some of them not even knowing it!

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