Gravure is a printing method where images are engraved on a copper cylinder and transferred onto various materials. It can produce narrow labels or 12-foot wide vinyl rolls. Each color has its own unit, and the press can also do saddle stitching.
Gravure is a commonly used term in the printing industry. Gravure is the method of engraving an image on an image medium. The images are usually gravure engraved on a copper cylinder to be further pressed onto paper reels. The gravure process is often referred to as “intaglio” for short.
Gravure presses can produce a wide variety of print jobs. They can be as narrow as the labels used on shipping envelopes or parcels, or as wide as 12 feet (about 3.66 meters) wide vinyl rolls. Gravure printing is not limited to just paper or film. Indeed, materials such as plastic or film can be printed through different processes that include electrostatic traction and applied pressure.
A gravure printing press includes an engraved cylinder in the ink duct, a doctor blade, a dryer, and an impression roller. The engraved inkwell cylinder is versatile enough to be modified to meet the requirements of any job layout. Generally, these changes are made by adjusting its circumference.
A gravure print job begins when the cylinder is dipped in ink. When immersed, the cylinder cells fill with ink. Each rotational movement of the engraved cylinder causes it to fill with more ink.
Subsequently, the material to be printed on is placed between the engraved cylinder and the pressure roller. In this way, the ink from the cell is transferred to the material. The final process involves the material and newly applied ink going through a drying method. The drying process prepares the material to receive another ink color.
Each color on a gravure press has its own printing unit. These colors are referred to as CMYK in the publishing profession. CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key, where “key” is the printing name given to the color black.
In addition to printing, a gravure press also has the ability to produce saddle stitching. Saddle stitching is commonly used to hold magazines and brochures together. Gravure presses can print magazines that have a long circulation of over a million copies.
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