The term "Offset" gets its name from the fact that the plate cylinder which holds

the art information does not come in contact with the paper. Procedure Step 1: Making negatives: The first step in the offset process is to create a negative from the original art. From this negative, a printing plate will be made. Figure 1 below represents a digital file; Figure 2 is created inside the image setter.

Step 2: Printing Plates: The negative is then placed in contact with a metal printing plate (fig. 3 below), which is coated with a photosensitive, ink-receptive emulsion. It is exposed to light and the plate is developed, leaving the emulsion (illustrated by the magenta book image) only where it was exposed.

Step 3: Wetting: As in stone lithography, offset lithography uses the water-versus-oil principle to make a print. The plate is first moistened with water. This keeps the non-image areas damp, and therefore more resistant to the oil-based inks used in this process. The plate is now ready to be inked. Step 4: Inking / Offsetting: After the printing plate is developed, it is attached to a cylinder on the printing press. As it turns, the plate offsets this inked image to a rubber blanket, creating a reverse image. The blanket then offsets this image to the paper, reversing it again and making a "right" reading, final print. Step 5: Multiple Passes To Achieve Full Color: Multiple colors are accomplished by changing the color of the ink in each station as it passes through the press. Modern presses not only have 4 color stations but also add a varnish coat to help eliminate finger prints on the paper.

An offset lithography (also known as plantographic) printing, plates carry both the image and non-image areas on the same level (unlike letterpress where areas are raised to catch ink). The transfer of ink is controlled by an unlikely principle. The principle that oil and water don't mix. Image areas are photographically transferred to thin metal plates which are treated chemically to accept oil-based ink but repel water on the image areas. Conversely, non-image areas accept water but repel the oil-based ink. A plate first contacts rollers of a clean solution or water and then is inked by other rollers. The oil-based ink "sticks" to the image area. The inked image is then transferred from the plate to a rubber blanket. The rubber blanket then transfers the image onto the paper's surface. Because of the resilience of the rubber blanket, it's possible to use offset lithography printing on a wide variety of surfaces and for large quantities. Both spot colors and CMYK colors can be used with this process.

What is UV offset printing? In this process special UV inks are used which can be dried under UV rays for which special UV lamps are used. In this process one can print on MET PET laminated paper, PVC, PP material etc. where offset type quality can be achieved.

What is the smallest quantity required for printing of cartons by offset process? The cost of carton is inversely proportional to its quantity. Small quantity can also be printed by offset process, but the cost factor will be on the higher side. What is dry offset printing? The dry offset printing process is indirect printing. In a dry offset printer, the plate cylinders transfer their inked images to a single blanket cylinder, which then prints the product. The dry offset printing process offers the most efficient method for high speed, large volume, high quality printing on pre-formed products. Where do I find inks, blankets, and printing plates? SBI has a list of vendors for each, and will help you through the process of ordering. What is 4-color process printing? It is a photo image created by overlaying and blending the 4 process inks - cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. By separating the image into small dots called halftone dots, and printing them beside or on top of each other, the SBI Egg Carton Printer and Multiple Product Printer produces high quality process printing. What is the advantage of running registration? Running registration is the ability to align printing images to each other while the printer is in operation. The printer does not have to be stopped, which allows quick and precise register of the print colors. This applies to all types of print jobs, not just process printing.

What are the advantages of using ultra-violet inks? The ink dries or cures instantly upon exposure to ultra-violet light. This eliminates smudging. How long does it take to set up a printing job? It takes between 15 and 20 minutes per color, depending upon the technician's experience and the quality of the print plates. How long do printing plates last? Printing plates last a long time and with proper care, they will print millions of images. What are the advantages of the Scheibler Brothers Feedscrew Denester? With its space-saving and belt-driven design, the SBI Feedscrew Denester is simple to use, adaptable to a wide variety of carton shapes and sizes, and moves the product smoothly and quickly. It also typically costs less than other types of denesters. What is impression roll tooling? The custom-designed impression roll tooling, found under the blanket cylinder, turns with the blanket cylinder. The impression roll squeezes the carton or product against the blanket cylinder, allowing the ink to contact the product. The diameter of the impression roll tooling is slightly smaller than that of the blanket cylinder. Will my carton work in the printer? Cartons or other types of containers must nest into a stable stack in order to be efficiently fed through our standard printer. To move through the printer, cartons must be consistent in design and form. Products that are too flexible, or sag noticeably when held at the ends, may have problems throughout the printing process. Also, smooth and light colored surfaces result in the best quality images. What plant services do I need to support a printer? The basics include sufficient floor space, a high voltage power supply, and compressed air. What voltage is required for the printer? The printer is wired to your local power specifications. How long does it take to manufacture the printer? The standard lead-time to manufacture a printer is between 18 and 22 weeks. How many products can be printed on one machine? The SBI Egg Carton Printer works most effectively when dedicated to 1 or 2 very similar sized egg cartons. The SBI Multiple Product Printer is designed to print on a variety of hinged-lid containers and flat trays. Can SBI's Egg Carton Printer or Multiple Product Printer print on products other than hinged-lid cartons?

Of the two printers in our line, the SBI Multiple Product Printer lends itself to printing on non-hinged products. How many people are required to operate the printer? Two people are typically needed to operate the printer. One person feeds the cartons into the denester and monitors the dry offset printers. The second person separates and bags the printed bundles of product. What is the average production speed of the printers? Production speed is a function of operator experience and product consistency. The SBI Egg Carton Printer has an average production speed of 200 cartons per minute. The SBI Multiple Product Printer has a speed range of 50-100 products per minute.

1. Conventional ink/litho varnish. 2. Conventional ink/aqueous varnish. 3. Conventional ink/UV varnish. 4. UV ink/UV varnish. Litho overprint varnishes are generally solutions of solid resins in vegetable drying oils. They dry partially by absorption into the paper or board, but mainly by oxidation which crosslinks the vegetable oil component to a tough flexible film. Litho overprint has been around the longest and is still the most widely used means of improving gloss and print protection. Material unit costs are lower than any of the other processes by a factor of 2. Gloss level and scuff resistance is lower than UV, and, depending on substrate, is generally similar to aqueous. Although considerable progress has been made over the years, litho varnishes have a tendency to yellow and, although mild, do have a distinctive odor on dried print. Litho overprint varnishing does not offer an instantly dry print at delivery in contrast with UV and aqueous. The resultant necessity to use spray powder sometimes causes the characteristic "rough" feel. However, litho varnishing provides the ideal means of "spot" or pattern varnishing at high speed. The higher viscosity reduces the amount of penetration and "greying" of lower quality boards. Maximum 2 film weights of litho varnish which can be applied are as low as 0.8-1.5 Wm and, coupled with the flexibility of the resin/oil combination, ensures that cracking on carton and cover creases or folds is not a problem.

Aqueous coatings Glossy aqueous in-line coatings are relative newcomers compared to litho varnishes. Most recently, acrylic dispersions have replaced the old emulsions, offering improvements in application, and storage stability, and wetting characteristics. The aqueous coatings of today are quite different from those available even five years ago. The in-line coaters as optional extras to multicolor litho presses have kept pace with, or perhaps even led, the development of these aqueous coatings. The advantages and benefits of aqueous coatings are: 1. Almost instant drying at the delivery; printed stocks can be immediately processed. 2. Little or no spray powder imparts improved feel and a cleaner environment.

3. The dried coating film is tougher and generally more scuff resistant than a litho varnish. 4. Gloss on quality coated paper can be expected to be superior to litho varnish, but on more absorbent carton boards, gloss is reduced and similar results can be anticipated. 5. Aqueous coatings are water white, and, once dried, are odorless. Suitable for food packaging. 6. Specially formulated aqueous coatings can provide an ideal base for subsequent processes, e.g. film lamination, UV roller coat or screen gloss varnishing, foil blocking, gluing, etc. Aqueous coating applied as a sealer over conventional inks will enhance the appearance of any subsequent UV coating application and reduce UV coating usage. Aqueous coatings have been developed to achieve a number of specialized purposes such as: In-line heatseal (blister-pack) coatings. Grease resistant barrier coats (for food contact). In-line calendering coating. Completely matte finish coatings. Prime coats, clear, opaque and pearlescent to upgrade low quality board. Tie coats (sealers) to enhance gluing, film lamination and UV varnishing over conventional inks, either in-line or dried. Special "Tie-Coats" are available for in-line web heatset coating.

Acrylic aqueous coatings are compatible with most glues, including PVA's and EVA's. This has been confirmed in tests carried out with National Adhesives and N.B. Love. However, as the application of aqueous coatings reduces the absorbency of the board, gluing performance will be affected, but not necessarily adversely. The two advantages perceived with aqueous coatings are: 1. Economics: Although unit costs are similar to conventional litho varnishes, usage is 2-1/2 times as much. The reason for this is that aqueous coatings are only 40-45% solids and more wet coating must be applied to achieve the same dry film weight. This is an added cost when viewed in isolation, but when savings due to quicker turn-around, less spray-related damage and improved product are considered, the extra material costs are negligible. 2. The perceived drawback is of coating as a "too hard" process and being problematic. However, once the operators have mastered the technique they are reluctant to forego the security of running aqueous on almost every job. These negative and positive factors need to be weighed against the product being produced and the advantages gained

UV cure UV inks and coatings do produce the ultimate gloss and film hardness, plus instant curing at the press delivery. They are 100% solids systems which crosslink to form a hard plastic film. This ability to apply heavy film weights of a hard glossy film when cured is also responsible for one of the disadvantages of UV coatings. That is, if not correctly formulated, the film may crack on folds and may not adhere to unsuitable substrates. The advantages of UV cure systems are therefore:

Highest gloss results for very acceptable print appearance. Excellent abrasion resistance. Good product resistance. Immediate cure. No spray powder required. Fast turn-around with in-line processing possible. Being solvent free, taint problems are reduced although UV does have a characteristic odor.

The disadvantages are: Higher unit costs, but these are partially cancelled out by better mileage. Film flexibility has been a problem, although this is being constantly improved. Substrate or dried ink surface has to have sufficiently high surface energy levels to be UV receptive.

UV curing has established a firm niche in the high quality packaging field and for printing on nonabsorbent substrates. As mentioned earlier, all these options in practice prove to be complementary rather than competitive. In fact, if we consider the number of combinations, the permutations may seem infinite. Possibly the most relevant way to explore the alternatives is from the viewpoint of the practical print application.

UV varnish Item for: This type of varnish adds to the surface great gloss and rub resistance. For hardening (drying) photo initiators are required. The UV varnish is either applied directly in the printing machine or in a separate varnishing machine. Varnish Item for: Varnishing the folding boxs surface protects the cartonboard against scratches or contamination and accentuates partially or totally the gloss of the printed product. The varnish may either be applied directly to the folding box during the printing process itself or in separate varnishing machine. Viscosity Item for: Besides yield strength and adhesiveness, viscosity is one of the rheological core sizes determinating the inks behaviour in the printing machine, the transfer onto the cartonboard and the quality of the completed printing units. VARNISH Varnishes are essentially clear inks with the same viscous quality as press inks. They come in gloss or dull finish and are most adaptable to creative design effects using combination spot finishes to contrast and highlight images. Press varnishes are solvent-based and dry relatively fast by oxidation. Varnishes are applied like ink, from roller, to plate, to blanket, to sheet, in-line, on press. Varnish, the least expensive final finish, is usually designed to seal the ink, and protect the carton during the final finishing stages and on the shelf. They can be formulated as wax-free to accept hot foil stamping, but will have less rub resistance that standard high gloss varnishes. High gloss box varnish provides moderate rub resistance, but caution should be used in shipping heavy products in varnished

cartons to prevent scuffing. AQUEOUS COATING Aqueous coatings are waterbased liquid coatings similar to varnishes but with harder resins. These coatings can be applied either in-line, on press, or as a separate off-line coating. Aqueous coatings provide a slightly higher gloss finish and smoother feel than gloss varnish, as well as a greater rub resistance. Aqueous dries by oxidation and with the use of heated air can dry as quickly as 10-15 seconds, which reduces the need for non-offset powders. Aqueous is typically glueable and therefore can be applied to the sheet as an overall coating, but it can also be applied as a spot coating with the use of a relief plate or blanket. U.V. COATING This is Ultra-violet cured coating. It is a liquid coating that uses U.V. lights to harden the coating as opposed to drying by oxidation. It is generally either roller applied off press, or if spot U.V. is necessary can be applied by a type of silk screen process. Other than film lamination, Gloss U.V. gives cartons their highest rub resistance and highest gloss. It is also available in matte finish. It is higher in cost than regular press varnish, and specially formulated inks must be used if the colors would normally contain Rhodamine red or Reflex blue. UV coating is used for its high gloss and excellent rub resistance. ONE NOTE OF CAUTION: While UV coating will generally enhance the look of the colors on the printed sheet, it often affects the final color, even when specially formulated inks are used. We will take every precaution to minimize this change, but not even the coater can predict the final result since the color may change up to 12 hours after the coating is applied. PMS or specially matched colors are at particular risk, and the same ink on the same board will often come out a somewhat different color on different runs. The white of a board can also turn slightly yellow after UV coating. These are changes that the existing technology cannot yet overcome, and Sierra Packaging cannot accept responsibility for UV caused color changes. FILM LAMINATION A full-coverage, film-to-sheet, lamination process versus the roller-applied, liquid coatings. The film, of usually .0015 thickness is pulled over the sheet, laminated, and adhered to the stock. This process gives the greatest level of gloss, moisture and scuff-resistance and actually strengthens the sheet. Available in gloss and matte finishes, it can be used on folding cartons up to .024. The matte finish is more velvety than other matte finishes and imparts a cloudy effect softening the printed colors. Film lamination is the most expensive of all the final coatings mentioned.