Mono and Litho Printing

8/3/2019 Mono and Litho Printing

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/mono-and-litho-printing 1/19

Mono Printing



• Monoprint: This is what you call a printproduced by using a previously worked plate

• (with lines etched into it , for example) and

creating a single, un- repeatable, impression• from it. For example: if you ink and wipe a plate

in black as you would a normal etching

• and then paint colored ink over the surfaceof it and run it through the press all at once

• the result is called a “monoprint ”



Techniques for monoprinting

• Stamping ink onto the plate.

• Inking up a texture and offsetting it on the

• plate by burnishing.

• Using a texture ( for example lace) to

• remove ink off the surface of a plate.

• Using mineral spirits or plate oil to remove

• or thin the ink.



• Drawing “white” lines with a brush handle,

• etc. through an inked plate.

• Wiping the plate with a tarlatan to give it

• that “swirled” look that the kids are just wild • about these days...

• Cutting stencils out of paper and using a

• roller to put the patterns on the plate.• Remember - there are NO RULES - anything

• that produces good images is fair

• game. Experiment and innovate!







Litho Printing



• Litho printing is also known as lithographyor lithographic printing or planography orplanographic printing. Litho printing works

on the basic principle that oil and water donot mix. Unlike relief printing and intagliowhere the image and non-image areas are

at different levels, in lithography there isonly one surface.



• In intaglio and relief printing the imageareas to be printed are raised and the non-images areas form the base surface,

which is lower than the image areas.However, in lithography the image areasand the non-image areas are all on the

same level. The printing surface is flat



Technique

• 1. The printing plate has the image to be printed, inrelief, on its surface (the image stands out slightly fromthe printing plate surface).

• 2. The printing plate is kept dampened. Ink is applied tothe plate but it is repelled from the dampened surfaceswhich are the non-image areas.

• 3. As the printing cylinder rotates the ink is transferred tothe rubber blanket cylinder.

• 4. The ink, now on the rubber blanket cylinder, ispressed onto the paper or card as it is pulled through themachine. (The paper is trapped between the blanketcylinder and the impression cylinder - these pull thepaper through the machine)



Process



Advantages

• Many commercially-printed books, brochures,business forms, catalogues, labels, letterhead,newspapers, magazines, posters, productpackaging and stationery are produced using

offset lithography. Other printing methodsinclude flexographic, gravure, screen and digitalor nonimpact printing. Lithography is populardue to its low cost and versatility, and the highquality of its results, which have smooth, clear

images with no impressions left on the page.



Clarity

• Offset lithography creates clear, smooth, sharpimages and text on a variety of materials. Withtraditional offset lithography, the blanket--that is,the part of the press which presses against the

paper or printing surface--is made of a softrubber which conforms to almost any papersurface or material, unlike systems which useinflexible metal plates for printing. Modern offsetpresses frequently use computer-to-plate

systems, which further increase the clarity andsharpness of the image.



Lack of Impressions

• Letterpress and gravure (intaglio, rotogravure orphotogravure) printing characteristically leaveimpressions: raised or indented text and lines on thepage, serrated edges and rings of ink. For some

projects, leaving marks on the paper is seen as a sign ofauthenticity, but many manufacturers don't want readersdistracted from the content of their message by the wayit was printed. In addition, these impressions makestacks of printed items thicker, which can affect

transportation and storage costs. Lithographic imageslack these artifacts.



Low Cost

• Lithography was initially invented by AloisSenefelder in 1798 to provide a lower-costalternative to copperplate engraving. Much ofthe expense of printing with offset lithography

comes from setup costs, and printing requireslittle maintenance. Offset lithography isn'tcheaper for small projects. However, the unitcost of each page goes down as the quantityprinted goes up, making offset lithographic

printing the cheapest, most cost-effectivemethod for producing commercial quantities ofhigh-quality printed items.



Speed

• Many sheet-fed lithographic presses printsimultaneously on both sides of the paper,which decreases printing times. Some web

press lithographic machines can print asmany as 50,000 sheets per hour.



Versatility

Lithographic printers use equipment for any lengthof press run. The slower, more precise sheet-fedlithographic presses are used for short- andmedium-run printing like art reproduction, coupons,

direct mail inserts, greeting cards and posters. Thehigh-speed, more efficient web presses are used formedium- and long-run printing like advertisingflyers, books, catalogues, magazines and

newspapers. In addition, lithographic presses worknot just on paper but on a wide variety of printingsurfaces, including cloth, leather, metal, plastic andwood.



Disadvantages

Materials

• Lithography started out using a limestone tablet that wasdrawn and then 'etched' by using a mixture of water, oils

and gum arabic. The supplies are complex and highlyspecialized; even with the use of modern machines, theprocess is expensive.

Time Frame

• The length of time is another disadvantage: it can be upto 40 hours just for the drawing time, the etches take atleast an hour each, and, in using colors, each one isadded separately.



Amounts

• The amounts of lithographic prints are limited, with most

artists choosing to print from five to 100 copies.Compared with reproductions, it isn't a medium wellsuited for high production (See Additional ResourcesBelow).

Documents

Mono and Litho Printing