Screen printing mesh is one of MAISHI Wire Mesh Manufacture Group's main products. Do you know about the difference and characteristics of offset, gravure, flexo and silk screen? Today we will tell you more details about it. 

offset printing

 

The vast majority of book catalogues and packaging boxes are offset products. Offset printing is a kind of lithography. It is very simple to say that offset printing is the printing method of transferring the graphic on the printing plate to the printing substrate by means of rubber (blank), that is, there are three rollers (printing plate, blanket, embossing). The lithographic method is called offset printing in the south of China. Offset printing: a variety of books, paper posters, folding pages, handbags, and some PVC, PET, can also be printed.

 

Gravure

 

Plastic bag products are generally gravure printed. The gravure printing ink is full and full of three-dimensional, the graphic has a convexity, and the layers are rich, the lines are clear, the high quality printing plate has a long service life, and is suitable for mass printing. Gravure can print extremely thin materials such as plastic films. The main disadvantages of gravure printing are: pre-press plate making technology is complicated, the cycle is long, and the plate making cost is high. Due to the use of volatile solvent, the harmful gas content in the workshop is high, which is harmful to the health of workers; the treatment required by gravure printing workers is relatively high. . The gravure plate is complicated and the ink pollutes the environment. These two issues have affected the development of gravure. In particular, the reduction of a large number of large-volume prints, the short version also requires a large increase in the number of low-cost prints, so that gravure continues to lose market.

 

Flexo

 

The most common logistics packaging corrugated paper boxes are flexo products. Flexo printing has evolved from letterpress printing, a direct printing method known as flexographic printing due to the use of elastic, raised image plates. The flexographic plate is glued to the plate cylinder and the plate is supplied by an engraved metal anilox roll.

 

Flexographic direct printing has the following characteristics:

 

1. The ink layer is thick and the ink color is consistent. Although the flexographic ink layer is thinner than gravure, it is definitely thicker than offset printing, which is very advantageous for large-area color blocks commonly used in printing and packaging products. Because of the use of anilox roller to convey ink, in general, if the paper condition is unchanged, ink is inflated. If the situation is the same, the ink color of the same batch of products or different batches of products can be consistent, which is the most basic requirement of packaging printing, and it is also difficult to achieve by offset printing.

 

2. Widely used non-toxic water-based ink printing. Flexo ink is the only non-toxic ink approved by the American Food and Drug Association for all printing inks. Therefore, flexographic printing, which is also known as green printing, is widely used in instrumentation and pharmaceutical packaging, which is beyond the reach of other printing methods.

 

3. A wide range of printable media. Flexo printing machines can not only print all kinds of paper, but also can print aluminum foil, plastic film, self-adhesive notes, woven bags, breathable film, metal foil, non-woven fabrics and textiles. . In addition to paper, the offset printing method cannot or does not print well.

 

4. The product has a wide range of applications. Almost all paper and plastic packaging products can be printed in flexo. In addition to packaging products, you can also print newspapers, books, magazines and other products.

 

5. The equipment has a comprehensive processing capability. The flexographic printing machine can perform post-printing processing on the same equipment, such as reverse printing, glazing, laminating, die-cutting, cross-cutting, slitting, punching, dragoning, fan folding, automatic waste disposal, etc., even in A number, bronzing or screen printing unit is added to the printing unit. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to call a flexographic printing machine a printing processing line.

 

Silk screen

 

Silk screen printing is the printing method closest to our lives. The common local UV is screen printing. According to the thickness of the screen, ink accumulation can be formed, which has a very good three-dimensional sense; silk screen printing is also widely used in self-adhesive label printing. When we were young, our test papers were printed on the stencil. The teacher put the stencil on the textured steel plate, engraved with a pointed lettering pen, and then printed with a mimeograph. This printing method is the same as our silk screen printing: the screen has a hollowed out part, and the ink is transferred through the holes to the substrate (paper, ceramics, etc.) to form an image or text. Silk screen: all kinds of metal, glass, paper, plastic, wood, ceramic, etc... It is said that except for air and water, nothing can be printed!