Small offset

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The small offset printing is a small-scale type of offset printing . Machines that work in small offset printing can produce prints up to a format of DIN A3, i.e. approximately in a format of approx. 30 × 42 cm. This type of printing is often used in the production of book covers, forms, and commercial printing . The output of a printing machine is up to 15,000 prints per hour. For this reason, the small offset is used for production in small and medium editions of up to around 10,000 copies.

The pressure plates are made of very thin light metal. Instead of the metal plates common in offset printing , foils made of paper or polyester are sometimes used as printing forms. The plates are made either by copying or by means of direct labeling.

The advantages of small offset printing are the fast production method of the printing plates and the speed of the machines in the short run. Foils can be produced particularly inexpensively using special laser printers or laser imagesetters. On the other hand, the quality has a disadvantage in multi-color printing .

literature

  • Hubert Blana: The production . KG Saur Verlag, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-598-20067-6 .
  • Helmut Hiller, Stephan Füssel: Dictionary of the book. 6th edition. Vittorio Klostermann Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 3-465-03220-9 .