January 19, 2011

Printing Services Evolution Over The Years

Print medium even today is a very sought after mode of spreading information to a wide range of people. The modern form of the printing services industry is a result of years of change and evolution in printing styles and processes. Today it is able to not only fulfill customers' printing requirements but also other related needs as well.

With the invention of the first printing press by Gutenberg in the--00's, mass printing services in the form of relief printing evolved into a full fledged industrial service. In this style of printing the printed image appears raised from the background of the material, as it is in a rubber stamp. Nowadays relief printing is not as popular and has very limited uses.

Technology has always been a driving force behind innovations in printing techniques that have been adopted down the years. Modern printing techniques have developed to a great extent, and each technique has its own role and function. In fact, most clients now feel overwhelmed with the printing options available in the market.

Offset printing is a popular printing method favoured by most printers nowadays. In this method, the image is transferred onto paper from a metal plate on which the matter is first printed by the use of small amount of ink. This cheap and fast technique of printing is highly preferred and used when bulk printing is needed.

Other printing techniques that have evolved with progress in technology are electrostatic printing, which resembles photocopying, and thermal printing, which uses a system of selective heating of layered thermal paper.

However, digital printing is the most recent technological innovation in this field. As the name tells you, in this technique, images are created on a computer, which are then examined for accuracy and are finally printed. This mode is quick and error free, but is appropriate usually for small volumes. As the printer can modify each print in this method, it can be employed for computer form printing, where documents such as receipts or bills can be printed for different customers, with each having an identical format but varying contents.

Printing services took another dimension when the internet started gaining popularity. Most printing companies run their own websites that permit clients to easily place orders and check out designs and specimens, without them having to go all the way to the firm's premises for this reason.

Printing has always taken quantum evolutionary leaps with the progress in technology. The best thing about this trend is that it will stay on track well into the future and keep improving the performance and efficiency of printing services.

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