Relief Printing Is the oldest form of printing and is produced from a raised surface.

Two types of Relief Printing Letterpress- uses lead type casts to print Examples: wedding invitations, thank you cards, return addresses on envelopes Since the press set-up can be time consuming it isn’t used as much for printing today. It is widely used for die-cutting, performating & embossing. Flexography- uses flexible plastics or synthetic plates to print from. Examples- milk jugs, paper bags, stickers

Planography Printing is produced from a level surface and works under the principle that water and ink don’t mix.

Type of Planography Offset Lithography- Is the most common form of planography printing. Examples: posters, books, newspapers, magazines

Digital Any technology that receives electronic files and uses ink, toner or ink jet to print. Example: A printer that is connected to your computer uses ink or toner to print. Copy machines and many other low volume quick print machines found in print shops like Staples and Kinkos use this form.

Intaglio Printing is produced from a sunken etched surface.

Type of Intaglio Gravure- is the most common form of intaglio printing. Most economical process for long press runs but is very costly and time consuming. Examples0 large circulation magazines, mail order catalogs and high quality newspapers. Minimum run is 100,000 – Ideal run is 300,000+

Specialty Printing There are several forms of specialty printing- Most common is: Screen Process- produced by forcing ink through a stencil. This method is used in production. Examples- Shirts, cups, drinking glasses, banners