Tech Journal: Types of Printing

Xerography =  Dry printing. A dry pigment is 'cooked' on top of the paper. Widely used as general office printing because it is cheap and quick, however lower quality. Not cheapest option for very large quantities.

Inkjet = Common household. Words best on photo paper. Liquid ink squirts out drops of ink as the paper goes by. 

Sublimated Dye (Dye Sub) = Uses some kind of solid ink. A solid sheet of color (similar to carbon paper).

Photographic = Dark room processed with special papers and chemicals. 

Sheet-fed Offset = Most common general printing in print shops. Uses liquid ink, paper not on roll - separate sheets are fed into the printer. Much less expensive for large quantities than xerography.

Web-fed Offset = Large scale. Newspapers, magazines.

Gravure Printing = A surface is engraved or scarred with tools or chemicals. The scratches get filled with ink and then pressure forces the ink onto paper. The highest quality, detailed  printing. Currency is printed this way.  The opposite of rubber stamping or flexography.

Flexography = Utilizes a flexible relief plate (similar to a rubber stamp). It can be used for printing on almost any type of substrate including plastic, metallic films, cellophane, and paper.

Screen Printing = Printing on fabric. Most successful if solid or has textures that don't have to look perfect