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Printing Presses and Platemaking

You may never see one but understanding the commercial printing process requires at least a passing knowledge of the types of printing presses used to print your project. Learn about sheet-fed and web presses, platemaking, cylinders, and other printing press topics.
Printing Plates
Learn how they are made and used in commercial printing.
Sheet-fed Press
Here's its role in commercial printing.
Web Press
Describes the types of web presses and how they are used in different types of printing.
Metal vs. Paper Plates and Other Printing Issues
Article discusses when to use which kind.
Flexo Plates
Learn about flexography platemaking techniques from Printer's Nat'l Environmental Assist. Ctr.
Letterpress Plates
Printer's Nat'l Environmental Assist. Ctr provides information on how printing plates are made for letterpress printing including the type of plates and how the image is transferred to the plates.
Plateless
There are some printing processes that use no printing plates at all. Printer's Nat'l Environmental Assist. Ctr has an overview of plateless techniques.

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