How Does a Printing Press Work?

A printing press transfers ink to a sheet of paper to create an image on that paper. It can produce hundreds of thousands of similar images using one or a series of plates and inks. There are several different kinds of printing presses, but they all use the same transfer of ink concept. They vary based on size, types of plates used to hold and transfer ink and a few other differences.

The printing press uses a combination of several rollers to do its job. Each roller has a role in the overall process. The ink rollers take ink (usually in a gel or liquid form) and spread it uniformly over the surface of the roller as they spin. This ensures the entire area is covered in ink. There are many rollers in some of the world's most complex printing presses, but basic ones used in Linotype shops and art studios only have two.

Once the ink is rolled out on the rollers, the color is transferred to the plate cylinder, one of three rollers that turn in a synchronized manner at the exact same rotation speed. The image goes from this roller to the blanket cylinder. The paper is fed through the machine and between the blanket cylinder and impression cylinders. The image is transferred to the paper as it is pulled through these two rollers. These cylinders are all touching each other, and they must turn at the same speed or else there will be sliding between them, which cause a blurry image and could tear the paper.

Resources

• About the print press
• Digital print press today