Offset Printing in Modern Times
The Developments & Inventions Responsible for Today’s Competitive Printing Industry
Offset printing companies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have come a long way since the early days of woodblock printing. Following the inventions of the printing press and lithography, there have been a number of developments leading up to the contemporary processes we use at Ries Graphics.
From publications, products, promotions and packaging, offset printing has played a primary role in the production of various shipping and marketing materials. Almost 150 years since its inception, the offset printing method has had plenty of time to evolve and adapt to the ever changing world, but what obstacles has it overcome?
The History of Offset Printing
- 1907 - Photostat & Rectigraph
- 1910 - Screen Printing
- 1916 - Company Establishment
- 1925 - Dot Matrix Printing
- 1938 - Xerography
- 1949 - Phototypesetting
- 1951 - Inkjet Printing
- 1969 - Laser Printing
- 1972 - Thermal Printing
- 1984 - 3D Printing
- 1991 - Digital Printing
- 2011 - Company Expansion
- 2017 - Modern Offset Printing
The Invention of Photostat & Rectigraph Offset Printing
Although hot metal typesetting and the mimeograph came first, the Photostat and Rectigraph was once the pinnacle of modern printing technology. Introduced as an alternative technique to offset printing, these inventions were the earliest form of the modern day photocopier offices have come to be associated with. Although these machines played key roles in World War II and architecture during the early 1900s, it didn’t manage to knock offset printing off the market and wouldn’t take long to be surpassed by many other superior production technologies.
A Rival is Born: Screen Printing
Still used today, screen printing was first invented back in the early 1900s and is completed by forcing ink into mesh openings and transferring it to a surface. Also known as serigraphy, and silk-screen printing, this method was even used by the artist Andy Warhol. Despite many of its ongoing uses, it has yet to knock offset printing off the market, but continues to be used for printing decals, graphics on sports equipment, and even for signs and billboards.
A Small Milwaukee Print Shop is Given a Name
41 years after the invention of the offset printing press, Ries Graphics was established as a small print shop near Milwaukee, WI. With more than 100 years under our belt, we have decades of experience fighting for our place in modern markets. If you’re looking for offset printing services, Ries Graphics is the company to call! We’ll print a wide range of products and materials for you - we’ve been doing it for years!
Offset Printing Services
Dot Matrix Printing: Introducing Customizable Options
With the invention of dot matrix technology, customers were able to order specifically designed fonts and art on their products thanks to the technique’s method of using a print head to move across a surface and making ink prints by impact. Unlike the classis stamp press, this type of printing relies on the dot matrix to print, giving users an advanced control over their materials. It would go on to be used in personal computers, but would never knock offset printing off its rightful place at #1!
Disposing Liquid Chemicals with Xerography
An extended development of the Photostat and Rectigraph, Xerography was the next step up for photocopying. This method is probably best known for the role it would take on in films between the 1960s and late 1980s. From One Hundred and One Dalmatians to Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Xerography revolutionized the printing business! Yet, despite its success, this modern printing method also failed to push offset printing into the void of irrelevance.
After Being Introduced, Did Photo Phototypesetting Have a Long Lasting Impact?
By using a new method of projecting light through a film negative image of a character in a specific style and feeding the image into a processor to be processed in a collection of chemicals, phototypesetting was created. Although this process would be used as popular option from the 1950s all the way to the 1980s, offset printing still proves to be a much more useful printing option in modern times!
The Ancestor of the Famous Inkjet Printer
It may surprise you one of the first digital printing techniques was developed the same year Pattie Page’s song “Tennessee Waltz” was the number was single on the charts! The continuous inkjet method was first developed as a technology which uses ink droplets to create an image or print. The ink’s ability to dry quickly allows inkjet printing to work fast, but even with its high end technique, offset printing holds as a fierce competitor!
The Inventor of Laser Printing is Still Alive! Will Offset Printing Finally be Surpassed?
Invented in the last 1960s by Gary Starkweather, the laser printing method was developed less than 50 years ago! While laser printing is still being developed by its inventor, it already has the ability to produce high quality prints by using a laser beam to develop a differentially charged image. The laser alone allows printers to make photocopies much faster than any Xerox machine! Although it is a popular item in offices around the state of Wisconsin, it is very unlikely offset printing will ever become useless in the face of this technology.
A Development Shortly Followed by Danger: Thermal Printing
A new method known as thermal printing was introduced in the early 1970s with a method utilizing thermochromic paper and specific passes with a thermal print head. By applying heat, thermal printers were able to print black or red. Not long after, the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) was discovered in the papers and brought up red flags for organizations dedicated to protecting the general public’s health. To this day, there have never been any options made available for totally phenol-free thermal paper – perhaps one of the reasons offset printing continues to be one of the most popular options for producing materials!
3D Printing Brings Graphics to Life
150 years ago, no one may have ever imagined we’d reach a point where we could physically print three dimensional objects from ink. By creating layers of material, it is possible for computers to create any shape or geometrical object from a set of digital data. In this case, offset printing has nothing to worry about. 3D printing and the offset method are completely different – in the future, they may even find a way to complement one another.
Digital Printing Services
The Final Frontier: Digital Printing
One of the most comprehensive, modern printing methods used today, digital printing prints directly from a digital-based image to a number of materials. Probably one of the most recognized techniques used today, digital printing is used by professional printing companies and regular home owners across Southeastern Wisconsin. Digital printing services can print practically anything you need, making this method one of the strongest competitors of offset printing in modern times!
Milwaukee Printing Company Expands to Serve Larger Area
Following 95 years of success, Ries Graphics expanded its printing facility to keep up with the growing demand for our digital and offset printing services. Although our workplace has changed drastically, our quality fails to take a hit! By taking on more space, we’ve only been able to improve our ability to serve a greater area of Wisconsin with their printing needs. Whether you’re looking for offset printing services in Milwaukee or you need digital printing options, contact Ries Graphics today to place your bulk order so we can get it done on time!
Offset Printing Services in 2017
Our Printing Press Matches Modern Expectations of Performance
In today’s world, there’s no room for failure. While inventors around the world may be working on developments in print technologies, Ries Graphics is currently dedicated to bringing you the best offset and digital printing services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We’ve been providing our customers with the needed calendars, newsletters, menus, booklets, and advertising materials they’ve requested for years, and we’re only speeding up.
Time and time again, bulk orders come through our lines and we don’t have the choice of choosing which ones to complete on time. When you order with Ries Graphics, we make sure every order is printed on schedule, but to keep up with demand, our technology needs to be in top shape!
The Plates Used in our Offset Printing Press
A part of keeping up with different Wisconsin printing industries is making sure our press is updated with the best plates on an annual basis. In 2017, there are two main types of plates we use because of their thin and flexible nature, including:
- Metal Plates
- Polyester Plates
While the first is usually made of aluminum and the second tend to cost less, both are the best options for keeping up with high demand orders. When it comes to the offset printing process we use, Ries Graphics is a fan of the computer-to-plate method – a technique which eliminates the need for regular plate making processes!
Best Sheet-Fed Offset Printing Services in Milwaukee
Another part of keeping up with large orders is by using sheet-fed offset printing. By using individual sheets and rolls of paper to the press, lithography can be used to efficiently print materials like magazines, event programs, directories, and handouts. There are many different types of sheet-fed offset printing options in today’s printing industry, including:
- Offset Duplicators
- Feeder System
- Printing-Inking System
- Delivery System
Have any questions about our sheet-fed offset printing options? Ries Graphics is standing by to assist you with any additional information you may be looking for. We can give you specific information on our offset printing services or more background on the digital printing services we offer our Milwaukee and Waukesha customers!
Web-Fed Offset Printing keeps us In Touch with Modern Times
When the REALLY big orders come in, Ries Graphics is always prepared thanks to our web-fed offset printing services. If you need to make an order in the thousands, web printing gives us the ability to keep up with your newsletter, advertising, mail catalog, and flyer prints. We can print in color or in black and white while web-fed offset printing can also fold and cut your materials for you! These special printer presses are known as:
- Heatset Web Offset Printers
- Coldset Web Offset Printers
While sheet fed and web fed offset printing techniques are very similar, web-fed tends to be faster and can handle much larger orders in a smaller amount of time. If your company runs a newspaper, Ries Graphics is your best source when you need to make regular, bulk orders on materials like newspapers. Have any questions? Need any clarification? Contact the best offset printing company in Milwaukee today!
