Printing 101
What is lithographic printing?
Lithographic printing, also known as offset litho, is one of the most widely used printing methods for high-volume commercial products, including retail cardstock packaging and folding cartons, magazines, posters, books, and marketing materials.
It delivers excellent print quality with sharp details, accurate colors, and consistent results across large production runs.
How does lithographic printing work?
In lithographic printing, your artwork is etched onto custom printing plates. Ink is applied to these plates on a large printing press and then transferred onto a rubber blanket, which prints the ink directly onto the material. This process produces crisp, high-quality images and text with excellent color consistency and fine details.
Litho printing typically uses CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) inks. However, it sometimes also includes spot colors, such as Pantone (PMS) colors and specialty coatings, depending on the production equipment.
What makes lithographic lamination different?
Lithographic lamination, sometimes called litho lam, is an extension of offset lithography. The printing process is the same: artwork is printed onto a paper liner using lithographic plates and rubber blankets on a large printing press. The difference in the process is that then the paper liner is glued to a corrugated board before the entire sheet is cut into its final shape.
This process combines the strength of corrugated material with high-quality, detailed printing that's difficult to achieve when digitally printing designs directly onto corrugated material. It’s used to produce items such as corrugated packaging, POP displays, and retail signs that can’t be made from thinner material.
When is lithographic printing the best choice?
Lithographic printing is ideal for:
- Large production runs
- Detailed graphics and photographs
- High-quality retail packaging
- Projects that require consistent color across multiple print runs
Although it requires more setup than digital printing, it becomes more cost-effective as order quantities increase. Because custom printing plates and cutting dies are required, lithographic printing is generally not available for small production runs or one-off orders.
If you want to explore lithographic printing for your next packaging project, reach out to Packlane Plus.