There are many types of printing machines for different uses. Printing machines are used in many industries, including garment and textile, packaging, and food processing. The wide range of printing machines available enables you to choose one that suits your needs.
Printing machines can be divided into several categories, including:
- Screen printing presses (rotary or flat)
- Offset Printers
- Digital Inkjet Printers
- Laser Printers
- Pad Printing Machines
- Flexographic rotogravure or flexo presses
- Packaging Printing Equipment
- Laser cutting machines
In the article “Technologies transforming the print and publishing sectors”, we discussed the evolution of the printing press, covering how the printing sector has been through many developmental stages this century. This article will delve further into the application of different printing machines.
Screen Printing Machines
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a metal mesh to transfer ink onto paper. The mesh is stretched over a frame that holds the ink and paper, with the screen covering both. It can be moved up and down to create different patterns, producing an image on clothing.
Screen printing is one the most effective ways to make t-shirts in bulk and work with various graphics.
The equipment used in screen printing has changed drastically over time as technology has improved. However, there are still many parts that remain consistent throughout different styles of printing:
- A squeegee – Used to force ink through the screen onto the paper by pulling it across the surface
- A print plate – A piece of plastic coated in emulsion (a substance used in photography) which allows you to see what your final design will look like before printing begins
The advantage of screen printing is that the surface of the recipient does not have to be flat and that the ink can adhere to a wide range of materials, such as paper, textiles, glass, ceramics, wood, and metal.
Offset Printing
Traditional offset printing is a print method that uses aluminium plates to transfer ink onto a rubber sheet (often referred to as a “blanket”). The image is then rolled onto the printing surface. This printing method is considered “offset” because the ink is not transferred to the paper directly.
This method is generally considered the best option when printing large quantities. Although there is a high initial cost to set up the equipment, additional units become relatively less expensive as quantity increases.
Offset printing allows for a wide range of print materials to be used during production.
It allows the printer to use different paper types, custom finishes, and a wide variety of inks. The high-quality images produced through offset printing make it the preferred method, especially among graphic designers, when seeking the most excellent colour reproduction, detail, and professional-looking prints. (Source: The InkTank)
An example of equipment, sheetfed offset printing machinery, can be used for commercial applications such as brochures, envelopes and flyers.
Digital Inkjet Printing
For digital inkjet printing, ink is transferred directly onto the surface. Rather than relying on aluminium plates and rubber blankets to transfer an image, digital printing uses liquid ink during production. Traditional home inkjet printers are one of the most common digital printing methods.
Digital printing requires no manual setup. It’s highly effective for use with smaller quantity runs. It is far more cost-effective than offset printing for low-volume projects.
Because of the lack of setup, digital printing is also a quick process, capable of completing projects on short notice or finishing a job to meet tight deadlines. Digital printing also offers maximum customisation. Each piece can be customised, making this method extremely effective if a job needs personalised customer names.
Digital printing is a type of printing that uses a digital printer and computer to print directly from your design file. Digital printing machines use an inkjet or laser to print high-quality graphics and can be used for short-run jobs.
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Laser Printers
Laser printers are one of the most commonly found on the market and can be used for various jobs.
The laser used in these machines can move very quickly to “write” with much greater speed than an inkjet printer.
If your business focuses on printing flyers, brochures, or other materials that require illustrations to be printed, then laser printers may be the best choice for you.
Laser printers provide speed, precision, and economy and are an excellent choice for many projects.
Pad Printing Machines
Also called tampography or tampo printing, it is an indirect offset (gravure) printing process where a silicon pad takes a 2-D image from a laser engraved (etched) printing plate (also called cliché) and transfers it to a 3-D object. Thanks to pad printing, it is now possible to print all kinds of complex-shaped products, such as curved (convex), hollow (concave), cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, etc., which were not available with traditional printing processes. (Source: Printing International)
Pad printing machines are used in the manufacturing of short-run or customised products. They’re also used for small batches of goods, as well as for mass production. These machines print patterns on various materials such as plastic, glass and metal.
The pad printer operates by applying ink to a substrate with a pad pressed against this surface. There are different pad printers based on their printing mechanism: rotary or reciprocating (side-to-side) motion; electrostatic; hot stamping; laser transfer, or thermal rollers.
Pad printing is used for printing complex products in many industries, such as:
- The pharmaceutical sector for printing on coated tablets and gel capsules
- The medical sector for printing on components of medical devices such as syringes, inhalers, insulin pens, catheters, etc.
- The candy industry where coated sweets and chewing gums are printed.
- Sporting goods
- The cosmetics industry for decorating perfume bottles, lipstick holder, etc.
- Beverage packaging for printing on bottle caps, corks, etc.
Flexo Printing Machines
Flexo printing is a type of printing that uses a flexographic printing press. Flexographic printing typically utilises an elastomer or polymer image carrier such as sleeves, cylinders, and plates. The image carrier is engraved or imaged to create the design for the final desired product. Ink is transferred from the ink pan via an anilox roll onto the image carrier, which is then printed onto the substrate.
Flexo printing is most commonly associated with uses in flexible packaging, labels, and other products, utilising a variety of substrates, including film, paper, foil, and non-woven. Flexo is used for full-colour or black-and-white print jobs.
Flexographic printing can be very cost-effective when printing large runs with basic needs. With proper maintenance and storage and investment in durable image carrier materials, flexo image carriers can be reused many times before they need to be replaced.
Flexo can print on porous and non-porous surfaces, making it ideal for various substrates, including coated linerboard and paper. (Source: Luminite blog)
Packaging Printing Equipment
Packaging printing equipment is the most common type of packaging printing equipment. It is used to print on packaging, and the types of packaging printed utilising this kind of equipment are very diverse. Packaging printing equipment comprises many parts, but the two main parts are an automatic feeding system and a take-up reel device, which moves with the help of a motor or other sources.
Packaging printings usually use inkjet technology because it does not require coating or lamination, unlike screen printing and embossing methods. The materials used for this process include paperboard, plastics such as PVC and PETG sheets (polyethene terephthalate), woven fabrics such as nylon twill cloths or leathers; alloys such as aluminium foils; metals like tinned steel panels; glass bottles made from any kind including soda bottles etc., all which depend on what type you need to be printed on them so you can choose which one suits your needs best!
Laser cutting machines
A laser cutter can use two techniques- laser cutting and engraving. Laser cutting utilises a high-powered laser to cut the material into various shapes, whereas a laser engraver can engrave a piece with a design. You can laser cut multiple materials such as acrylic, MDF, plywood, cardboard, & POM. Generally, laser cutters are more intuitive and easier to use than 3D printers because they’re a contained system. Cutting a flat piece into segments or a design is easier to program and construct than building a three-dimensional object from the ground up.
Laser cutting can be used to cut out and create intricate designs with a perfection that is impossible to create with free-hand cutting. Due to the intuitive nature of the machine, people have used laser cutting for various projects, from creating artistic clocks to attaching logos to travel mugs to even putting engravings onto food like pies. (source: Invention Land Education)
Conclusion
Printing machines are a vital part of the printing process. They help ensure that your documents, material or products look beautiful and professional, no matter what material you use or how many copies you need to print out.
Depending on your business needs and budget, you may want to use more than one type of machine for maximum efficiency. Some businesses opt for a combination of different kinds of equipment so that they can produce multiple products from the same source material – this saves space as well as production time and money by enabling them to run more shifts per day without having to set up new plates every time they need a different product printed out!
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