Three Questions About Four Color Process Printing
Do you have a print job that needs to be manufactured, and are considering using a four color process printing? If so, you likely have some questions about this unique way to handle your print job that makes it the best possible choice.
Why Do People Use Four Color Process Printing?
There are many different ways that you can use a four color printing process, which opens it up to a variety of different projects. However, the process itself has some distinct advantages over the competing methods. Four color process printing is known for producing a very high quality image that can be produced quickly. This makes it a great choice for when you need to print many documents with a tight deadline, all while maintaining high quality.
How Does The Process Work?
The concept of four color process printing uses three rollers to create your printed material. Ink and water is applied to a plate cylinder, which works by attracting water to the areas where there is not an image and applying ink to the areas where it needs to be applied. That ink is then transferred from the plate cylinder to the blanket cylinder. The blanket cylinder is pressed against an impression cylinder, which forces the paper through the two cylinders where the ink is transferred to the paper.
This process is repeated four times using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colors. Each color is separated from the image so that they can be combined together to make a full color image. There are actually individual dots that make up the entire image, and each dot of the four colors helps create the illusion of the full color image that is being printed.
What Presses Are Used To Create Print Jobs?
There are three main types of presses that you will see used for four color process printing. A web press is best for very large jobs, such as newspaper printing. The press uses a long sheet of paper that runs through the rollers, and is then cut to the exact size once it has gone through all four color processes.
Sheet fed presses use individual sheets of paper, but the presses can handle multiple sizes to meet the needs for your specific job. It is best used when making a medium sized run of printed documents and the quality needs to be good and have consistent color. Digital presses are also sheet fed, but use toner instead of ink. It is much better suited for a short run of printed material, since it doesn't require the creation of the plate cylinder.