Print coursework - Glossary

Glossary

Hand:

Etching and Drypoint

Etching is a type of hand printing where the user cuts into substances such as plastic and metal to create images. Etching basically means to cut by pasting a layer of acid resistant paste onto the sheet and then the design is drawn in with an etching needle, after the plate is then dipped in acid which only effects the parts which had been scratched into, creating perfect groves for the into to trap itself in when it comes to printing the images on a material. A popular type of etching is called dry point etching which is where tiles of Perspex/acrylic plastic is scratched into using sand paper, special needles and craft knives. This is to create an image and after a thick ink is applied across the plastic. Using a cloth called scrim and tissue paper you then remove as much excess ink as possible. The scratches into the plastic however hold the ink in the groves. Damp paper is then used to print on through a printing press. After which it is left to dry in between layers of blotting paper and tissue paper for a day or two.

Pros

The main pro of these etching techniques is that the images that come out are that of the quality of an artist drawing on paper, they come out smooth and when it comes to production quality is everything.

Cons

A major con of this technique is that it can be quite dangerous for the user because of the use of acid and sharp objects. Another being that this technique is time consuming and you can only make one item at once.

Linocut

Linocut is a woodcut technique for printmaking in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted onto a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A design is then carved into the linoleum with a sharp knife, after which the sheet is inked and the design is pressed onto paper. This technique is one of the easier ones as it doesn’t involve anything extra such as acid or fire.

Pros

The pro of this is that again it is very simple to do and isn’t all that time consuming depending on your design. Most importantly it isn’t dangerous (debatable about the knife).

Cons

The major con of this is how basic it is and you can’t do a massive lot of detail in your design as it simply wouldn’t work. This is why this type of printing would not be used in industry today for our more complex designs and the fact that we now have digital ways of doing the exact same thing at a faster pace.

Intaglio

In Intaglio printing, the lines to be printed are cut into a metal plate by means of a cutting tool called a burin. Using an etching needle, or a similar tool, the image is engraved into the ground, revealing the plate underneath. Ink is then rubbed into incised lines with felt dauber and after the ink is wiped of the surface with a tarlatan to get rid of the excess. The plate is then printed with damp paper and rolled through a printing press. This form of printmaking has died out in the print world and is now mostly used for stamps and bank notes, whereas before it was used for high quality magazines.

Pros

Intaglio is very fine when it comes to the strokes so it may get better results than say relief printing.

Cons

The major con for this method is that it isn’t as useful as many of the other methods; it’s not as clean cut which is why it is used little anymore. The printing needs specialist equipment which are going to make the whole process more expensive and again when there are other faster and cheaper methods there seems to be little point in splashing out.

Lithography

This type of hand printing is printing from a stone (limestone preferably) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It is used to print text or artwork onto paper. This is done with a printing plate with a relief image on it which is then dampened with water and then coated with ink. The ink only sticks to the parts of the plate which are not damp with water. The printing plate is then fixed onto a roller and then the roller is used to roll the image onto paper. These days Lithography is called offset printing and uses a machine to do all the work. It is used to do maps, books, newspapers and packaging.

Pros

In mass production this method is useful for things such as packaging, especially the machine version because of the rolling technique which is fast and thorough. It’s good for medium to long prints.

Cons

There aren’t many cons to this printing technique because of the amount it can do and it’s use for I, the only thing I can say is that because of it being able to produce so much there is more room for error.

Digital:

Digital printing

Digital printing is a printing device which eliminates the need for a printing plate by using a desktop to send a pdf file to create a solid substance with said printer. This usually refers to professional printing where small-run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large format and/or high-volume laser or inkjet printers.

Pros

The Pros for this device is literally everything about it. The fact that so many different devices can do this just saves time in the printing room.

Cons

The expense of this is a con because it’s not designed for mass production which are the people who can buy them without breaking a sweat.

3D Printing

3D printing is where a file on the screen of a desktop is printed in physical 3D form. This is done by layering up layers of material with the printing device to create a solid 3D object. This type of printing is used for things such as phone cases, something that most people use today.

Pros

3D printing is something which has evolved over the past 20 years from laser printing; it’s an item which brings objects out of the computer right in front of your very eyes. It’s the only device which can do that.

Cons

There are no cons to this method.

Inkjet Printing

Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing which recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper, plastic or other substrates. These types of printers are used for mass production like a newspaper or a magazine because of how many coloured documents it can print quickly as opposed to a personal desktop printer.

Pros

It can produce a mass amount of documents at a time which is good for any large business or company.

Cons

None at all.

Desktop Printing

This type of printing 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. This software would be used for magazine articles, used by editors.

Pros

It’s useful for individual work in the journalism industry.

Cons

It’s for personal use which means that not a whole lot of documents can be printed at once.