Offset lithography is one of the most common ways of creating printed materials. A few of its common applications include:
newspapers, magazines, brochures, stationery, and books. Compared to other printing methods, offset printing is best suited for economically producing large volumes of high quality prints in a manner that requires little
maintenance.
Advantages of offset printing compared to other printing methods include:
- Consistent high image quality. Offset printing produces sharp
and clean images and type. - Quick and easy production of printing plates.
- Longer printing plate life than on direct litho presses because
there is no direct contact between the plate and the printing surface. Properly
developed plates used with optimized inks and fountain solution may achieve run
lengths of more than a million impressions; - Cost. Offset printing is the cheapest method for producing high
quality prints in commercial printing quantities.