Litho Papers

Lithographic printing is a style of printing in which an image is transferred to a printing plate, which is then covered with both water and oil-based ink. Lithography utilizes the natural resistance of oil and water to mix. After the image is applied to the printing plate through a photochemical, mechanical, or laser-engraving process, the printing plate is passed over by both water and ink rollers. The water only dampens the non-image area of the plate’s surface, while the ink adheres only to the image area. This creates clean, highly-accurate copies, in whatever ink color is being applied.

After the ink has been applied, the inked image is then transferred to a rubber “blanket”, which is rolled across the image surface. The rubber blanket then applies the image to the final print surface (usually paper). This passing of the image from plate to blanket to paper is why lithographic printing is also known as offset printing—the image is “offset” as opposed to being directly applied like a stamp.

In order to get accurately colored prints, lithographic printing involves the layered application of multiple ink colors as the printed surface undergoes the same process over and over. The individual ink colors layer together to create the final image coloration. It takes careful planning and preparation in order to get the final product just right. While the set up time for lithographic print projects is longer than for other methods, the actual production of large quantity lithographic projects is quick and very affordable. Lithographic printing is the most common method used in the production of newspapers, magazines, books, and commercial materials due to it’s consistency and speed in completing large print jobs. The litho style can even be used in printing to non-paper surfaces, such as wood, metal, or stone.