Elements of printing

Traditional printing must be composed of five elements: manuscripts, plates, inks, substrates, and printing machinery to produce printed products.

The manuscript is the basis for plate making and printing. The quality of the original document directly affects the quality of the printed product. Therefore, it is necessary to select and design an original suitable for printing. During the entire copying process, the original style should be kept as much as possible. The originals have reflective originals, projected originals, and electronic manuscripts. Each type of manuscript is photographed, drawn, lined, and continuously adjusted according to the production method and image characteristics.

A plate is a printed text carrier used to transfer ink to a substrate.

The ink is transferred to the imaging material on the substrate during the printing process.

Substrates are generic names for various substances capable of accepting inks or adsorbing toners and presenting graphics. As the number of printed matters increases, the substrates used in printing are all-inclusive. Paper, plastic film, wood, fabric, metal, ceramic...

At present, the largest amount of substrates is paper and plastic film.

Printing machinery is the general term for machines and equipment used to produce printed products. Its function is to transfer the printing ink to the surface of the substrate.