HISTORY OF PRINT MAKING

In the 15th centuary a German printer Johann Gutenberg(1440) discovered how to

print books more easily instead of carving an entire page from one piece of wood.
Gutenberg curved each letter separately on a small block. These pieces called types,
placed in any order to make words and sentences. The small wooden pieces could be
used more than once. A mechanical device was used to press the paper against the type.
Then the speed and quality of printing presses have improved greatly. Type is no longer
put together by hand, Modern Computer with keyboards are used to assemble pages of
type. Typesetting machines produce photographic film of the type. From these printing
plates are made. The Plates are used on giant printing presses. There machines can print
thousands of books or newspaper every hour.
There are two main type of Printing Machines. There are the sheet-fed and the web-
fed machine. In sheet-fed machines, single sheets of paper are fed into the machine
and printed one at a time. In a web-fed machine a contineous roll of paper is fed
through the printing machine. Both types of machine can print in colour. The paper is
printed by a different set of plates for each colour.
Some machines can also cut the sheets and fold them into pages. Book binding
machines are used to sew the folded pages together, and glue a cover on to produce the
finished book.

PRINTING OR REPRODUCTION
All printing processes fall into one of the three major categories. Relief, Planographic
and Intaglio, distinguished from each other, not only by the results they produce but
also by their physical characteristics. The distinction is made on the basis of whether
the design on the Printing plate is raised, flat or engraved.
RELIEF PRINTING / LETTER PRESS
The most common of all the printing process is relief printing or letter press printing,
which refers to the process of making prints from a plate bearing the design in relief. It
is called relief printing because ink applied to the printing block will cover the high
surfaces but will not reach into the law areas, that is they stand out in relief. When
paper is pressed against the plate, it will take on an ink impression only of the raised
portions. The Printing surface consists of types, rules, blocks and other such materials
which have a raised surface like the character of a typewriter.
Letter press is most flexible in matters of corrections and changes or for modifying the
results while on press. About thirty years back letter press serves a wide field,
including, stationery, catalogues, magazines, books and news papers. Now a days
letterpress is used for printing small jobs. The biggest letterpress machines are the
reel fed news paper rotaries, the press being fed with paper from webs or reels
instead of with separate sheets, while the printing surface is cylindrical.
Small jobs of printing are generally carried out on a platen machine. This consists of a
printing surface and an impression surface, which are brought together like a hinge, and
when the paper is pressed against the inked types or blocks, it is printed. Printers type,
photo-engravers line cut and half tone plates, rubber plates, wood blocks and linoleum
blocks, work on the principle of relief printing.
SILK SCREEN PRINTING PROCESS
The Silk Screen method is based on the principle of the stencil. It is operated in a very
similar way to the stencil printing outfits. A silk screen print has normally a hand-
painted impasto-effect, since the stencil can be made to deposit an appreciable layer of
richly pigmented paint. So there is no need for blocks or types, the design being either
cut by hand or photographed with a course screen. This process is ideal for printing on
glass, cloth, wood, metal etc. This is a method of manual printing. Machinery is also
used for this types of printing mainly for Textiles, Wall papers,Big posters, etc. For job
works ie. paper works, are done mainly by manual. Main advantage is that it can print
on any surface , wood, paper, glass, plastic, leather etc. We got very bright colours
because in Screen Printing ink applied directly on the surface of the paper, but in other
printing machinery gives pressure to get the impression.
Different INKS
For Plastic , PVC, Paper ----- PVC Ink is used
For Paper ----- Mat, Gloss or PVC Ink
For Shopping Bag -----Vinyshine, Gloss Ink or Polystic Ink

SCREEN PRINTING OR SERIGRAPHY

Screen printing is the most versatile methods of printing its versatility has made the
screen printing industry very conscious of its potential. Main advantage is to print on
any surface, any material, any size or thickness, and in almost any shape. An excellent
result may be obtained by using manual printing.
Screen printing is a graphic Communication, which deals with the processes and arts
employed in the production of printed matter applied onto surfaces of varied materials
by depositing the ink though a fabric mesh that is partially blocked-out or masked.
The hand prepared printing screen consists of a blocked-out fabric such as nylon, silk
or polyester. The screen fabric is stretched very tightly to a flat frame made of wood.
The open parts in the screen are the design parts or areas to be printed, the rest of the
Screen Fabric is closed up or blocked out with paper gum tape or blue coat solution.
The object or material upon which the printing is to be done is placed under the
screen. The required amount of screen printing ink is poured into the screen on the
inside on top of the fabric, and the ink is applied on to the material by pulling a device
known as squeegee over the whole printing area of the screen. Wood or light weight
metal squeegees are used for forcing the ink through the open parts of the screen. The
squeegee consists of a wooden handle and an insoluble synthetic rubber or plastic
blade.
The advantages of screen printing are many and the techniques and effects obtained
with this are limitless. Brilliant, sparkling solid and varied coloured effects may be
applied to almost any surface, shape, material, size or thickness. It may be used to
print on paper cardboard, wood, metal, textiles, plastics, leather, ceramic, surfaces,
glass etc. An even coating may be obtained, the thickness of the coating may be
varied, and a thicker coating may be printed than by other processes. The coating may
be 10 to 20 times as thick as in letterpress printing. Detailed, fine, and halftone
illustrations in single, multi colour process and special effects may be obtained, very
fine, detailed printing in white and lighter colours may be printed normally over solid
 dark or darker backgrounds. The process is economical and practical considering the
superior results produced, the possibility of both small and long runs.
Because of the heavy deposit of ink, the process has stricking colour impact. The
printing screen may be prepared by hand or by photographic means.
A screen printing ink has many requirements. It must not dissolve the printing screen
or medium used to block-out those parts in the screen which are not to print. The ink
must not clot in the fabric. It should be easily deposited with the squeegee and should
print a sharp line or edge. Once printed, it should dry as quickly as possible. It should
be safe to use and should adhere permanently to the printing surface. It must be easily
cleaned off the printing screen with safe solvents so that the screen may be reclaimed
to be used again.
Some Relief and Engraved process
Wood cut wood carving
The act of process of carving wood to make different designs.
Wood carving was a popular way of providing an attractive finish for building interiors
and furniture from the middle ages. A highly skilled labour intensive craft, large pieces
of wood are first removed with a wooden mallet and a chisel. The details and textures
are then achieved by arising a range of chisels to carve the wood by hand. Now a days
machines are also used for carving These are some of the chisels used for carving.
Square chisel,Dog leg chisel, Bent Gange, Skew Chisel, Straight Gauge.
Rubbing
An impression or copy made by rubbing each rubbing is an ''ink squeeze'' that is an
impression made by pressing thin damp paper over a carved or “incised'' surface using a
brush, the paper is then tamped into the incisions. When the paper is almost dry, ink
usually black in skimmed evenly over the entire paper surface. Because the ink does not
adhere to the carved incisions, the result is a ''rubbing” with white writing on a black
background.
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a print making process of the intaglio family. It was the first tonal
method to be used enabling halftones to be produced without using line or dot based
techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple. Mezzotint achieves tonality by
roughening the plate with thousands of little dots made by a metal tool with small
teeth. In printing the tiny pits in the plate hold the ink when the face of the plate is
wiped clean. A high level of quality and richness in the print can be achieved.
Dark to light method
This became the most common method. The whole surface of a metal usually copper
plate is roughened evenly. If the plate were printed at this point it would show as solid
black. The image is then created out by scraping or burnishing smooth part of the
surface with metal tools. So that the smoothed part will print lighter. This is called
working from "dark to light.''
 Light to dark Method
It is possible to create the image directly by only roughening a blank plate selectively,
where the darker parts of the image are to be. This is called working from light to
dark.
The Mezzotint print making method was invented by the German professional
soldier Ludwig Von Siegenn.
Engraving
Engraving in the practice of incising a design on to a hard flat surface, by cutting
grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold or
steel are engraved or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another
metal for printing images on paper which are called engravings.
Engraving was a historically important method of producing images on paper, both in
artistic print making, and also for commercial reproduction and illustrations for books
and magazines.
Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a burin to cut the design into the surface,
most traditionally a copper plate.
Etching
Etching in the process of using strong acid to cut into the un protected parts of a metal
surface to create a design. It is an intaglio method of print making.
In etching a metal, copper, zinc or steel, plate is covered with a waxy ground which is
resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle
where he wants a line to appear in the finished piece so exposing the bare metal.
The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid. Technically called the mordant or has acid
washed over it. The acid 'bites' into the metal, where it is exposed leaving behind lines
sunk into the plate. The remaining ground is then cleaned of the plate. The plate is
inked all over and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the
etched lines.
The plate is then put through a high pressure printing press together with a sheet of
paper. The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print.

Lithography and offset

Lithography prints from a relatively flat surface and works on the principle that oil and
water will not mix. Artists many years ago discovered that if they drew a design with
crayon on a polished but porous stone and then dampened the stone with water, the
water would not adheres to the crayon image but would wet the stone. Then they would
apply an inked roller, this was repelled by water but clung to the crayon design. The
inked design could then be repeatedly transferred to paper to make as many copies as
the artist desired. This process was called Lithography, a word derived from the Greek
word, "LITHOS'' means stone and ''GRAPHOS'' means writing literally, “Writing from
stone''.
Modern offset lithography, although considerably more complex, works on the same
basic principle that grease and water will not mix. Today, instead of the stone, a thin
metal plate is used. This plate, so thin that it will wrap around the press cylinder is
grained by rolling steel balls back and forth across its surface, which during the
operation is dusted with a fine abrasive. The purpose of the graining is to give the metal
some of the moisture retaining qualities of the old lithographic stone. After graining,
the plate is coated with a substance that is sensitive to light, so that the photographic
negative of the original artwork may be developed directly on the surface of the plate.
During the developing process, the light sensitive material, which is exposed, hardens
and becomes insoluble in water, whereas the portions of this material that are under the
opaque parts of the negative remain water soluble .Thus the developed picture becomes
insoluble in water ,but the light-sensitive substance on the rest of the plate can be and is
washed off, exposing the grained metal of the plate. These exposed portions of the plate
will pick up and retain moisture from the water rollers of the press, and being wet, they
will not pick up ink from the ink rollers, How ever, the photographic reproduction of
the original artwork that did not wash off, covers the grained metal surface so that
water is not held by these areas. As a result, ink will cling only to these portions, and
can produce a copy of the design at every turn of the press cylinder.
In offset Lithography unlike letterpress and gravure, the printing is not done directly
from the metal plate to the paper. Rather, the plat, the plate first prints on a rubber
blanket cylinder. This cylinder, in turn re- prints or offset the image on the paper. It is
for this reason that the lettering on an offset the image on the paper. It is for this reason
that the lettering on an offset lithographic plate is not reversed as it is in letterpress and
gravure.
It is claimed that printing from the rubber roller instead of from the unyielding surface
of a metal plate permits the use of a wider range of papers, Lithography also makes
possible economic in plate making because halftone negatives can be stripped into line
art negatives and both halftone and line art can be reproduced on a single lithographic
plate.

Colour Reproduction
When the design has a coloured illustration a separate plate must be made for each
colour a full colour design can be reproduced by using the four process colours
(CMYK) ie Cyan, Majenta, Yellow & Black. Let us assume that a full colour design is
to be reproduced. The original artwork is photographed four times, each time, through a
different colour filter. The resulting negatives are called colour separation negatives.
These are not coloured pictures like Kodachromes but appealed as ordinary ‘black and
white’ translucent and transparent screened negatives. However each of the four filters
has removed all but one of the primary colour values as they appear in the original
artwork. That is one filter removes all but the red values another all but the yellow and
so on.
A separate plate is made from each of these four negatives. These colour plates, each
when inked with its corresponding primary colour and printed one upon the other with
black as the last colour, result in a full colour reproduction. Progressive proofs are used
to indicate to the advertiser and printer the accuracy of the colour reproduction and
plate registration. In other words coloures are matched against the original art work and
in as much as four plates are printed successively one upon the other, a check is
necessary to determine if the elements on each plate are falling in the proper places in
the finished job.
A halftone reproduction is produced by means of a series of dots. In making a colour
halftone it is necessary to reangle the halftone screen each of the four times a
photograph is taken of the original artwork. This must be done so that the dots created
by the screen will not fall in the same place on each negative and hence on each plate.
If this were to happen, dots would be superimposed on dots in the printing, and the
desired effect would not be obtained. In printing coloured pictures as opposed to
painting, colours are not be obtained. In printing coloured pictures as opposed to
painting, colours are not directly and physically mixed. Instead, the large number of
fine dots of different colours intermingle on the paper and create an optical illusion.
The viewer does not see a large number of blue dots interspersed among a large number
of yellow dots; he sees green. The eye does the mixing, and viewer sees the colour that
would be achieved in painting by the physical mixing of the same primary colours.
Now the separation of four colour film is slowly outdated and a new method of C T P is
introduced. ie. Computer To Plate.