OFFSET
It is a form of printing that is made through a plate that has relief, which is made up of a rubber: cliché. The area to be printed is embossed. At the time of printing, only the areas in high relief receive ink, the others, being lower, do not receive the impression. Subsequently, the ink from the cliché is transferred to the chosen support. The printing plate has a flexible structure, so that it is adapted to the cylinders of the flexographic machine through an adhesive tape, making it possible to print on many different materials. The flexographic machine is composed of a take-up roller, which transfers the ink to the matrix – the rubber cliché. On the other hand, the matrix is mounted on another specific cylinder. This is used for large quantities, supporting four-color printing.
DIGITAL
Contrary to offset, digital printing is done directly on the material, using a digital file (eg PDF, JPEG) as a matrix, without the use of plates. The process here is electronic, laser, and guarantees the same quality in a faster way. Digital printing has achieved the similar quality and durability of offset printing. However, it has higher costs for large quantities. It is generally used in small quantities, capacity for four-color printing.
SERIGRAPHY
Serigraphy is a direct printing process through a silk screen, on which ink is applied, which is subsequently transferred to the surface of the material, positioned under the screen. One of its great benefits is the possibility of printing on different materials, with different sizes and thicknesses, in a single equipment. For each color of the print, a different matrix is used and it is a very versatile technique, which allows to produce strong colors, but also subtle and subdued tones. This is also only used for small quantities and only supports up to 2 colors per print.
FLEXOGRAPHY
It is a form of printing that is made through a plate that has relief, which is made up of a rubber: cliché. The area to be printed is embossed. At the time of printing, only the areas in high relief receive ink, the others, being lower, do not receive the impression. Subsequently, the ink from the cliché is transferred to the chosen support. The printing plate has a flexible structure, so that it is adapted to the cylinders of the flexographic machine through an adhesive tape, making it possible to print on many different materials. The flexographic machine is composed of a take-up roller, which transfers the ink to the matrix – the rubber cliché. On the other hand, the matrix is mounted on another specific cylinder. This is used for large quantities, supporting four-color printing.