Commercial Printing Presses

Commercial Printing Presses

Commercial printing presses have been used for centuries for mass printing. A press excels at creating thousands of copies quickly, and they have numerous features. It is important to identify which one is correct for your individual needs.

Each type of printing press has its own application and usage. You should buy the one that appropriately fits your needs and preferences.

• Offset lithography: Uses a printing plate that is soaked with ink. This plate is then pressed against the substrate. An offset printing press uses a four-color process and is known for creating a great number of sheets.
• Flexography: This is commonly used with packaging. Flexography involves a rubber plate that is pressed against cardboard, plastic, or metal.
• Digital: A digital printing press can be either inkjet or laser. Inkjet printers use nozzles that soak paper with the appropriately colored ink. Laser printers use magnetically-charged toner that adheres to the substrate.
• Screen printing: Commercial screen equipment uses fabric to transfer an image to textiles, glass, ceramics, and other materials. Substrates do not have to be flat with this method.

• High-output printing: Commercial machines are capable of creating thousands of sheets in a short amount of time. This includes business cards, books, brochures, and posters.
• Various substrates: Depending on which press you choose, you will be able to print on numerous substrates. These include cardboard, plastic, metal, textiles, and more.
• Superior color matching: Colors printed through a commercial press tend to be more vibrant and truer to the original.

Since commercial printing machines are large, size should be your first consideration. You must have enough room for your selected model. It's good to consider what substrates you will print on during operation. Paper, cardboard, and plastic are fairly common, but you may need to be selective if you are printing on exotic or uncommon substrates. Maximum paper size should be considered if you plan on doing large format printing. Most commercial press equipment can accommodate either large rolls of paper or big paper sizes to help you print nearly any size. Output speed is important as this will determine how quickly a press can finish any given job.

These features are found with many commercial presses and are meant to make operations run as efficiently as possible:

• Automation: This refers to the press being able to automatically change plates with little or no human intervention. This improves productivity and reduces human error.
• Touchscreen controls: These controls make it easier to select settings, number of prints, and other options. This simplifies operations.
• Flexible adjustments: Flexibility refers to the printer being able to swiftly change from one substrate to another.
• Presets: Having this feature allows you to quickly change from one common setting to another in seconds.