What is a gravure press?

Rotogravure (or gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process, which involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a cylinder because, like offset printing and flexography, it uses a rotary printing press.

What is gravure printing used for?

The process, also commonly called gravure printing, is used in the manufacturing of food and non-food packaging, as well as labels, wall coverings, transfer printing, and has a variety of further applications in the security printing, industrial, and tobacco segments of industry.

What are the four components of the gravure press?

It has four basic components to each printing unit: an image carrier (engraved cylinder), ink fountain (inking pan), doctor blade, and impression roller (Fig.

What are the types of gravure printing?

The printing mechanism in a rotogravure press consists of a gravure cylinder and a smaller, rubber clad impression cylinder. Other types of gravure presses in commercial use today are sheet-fed, intaglio plate, and offset gravure. These types of presses are used primarily for special printing applications.

What products use gravure printing?

The typical products for which gravure printing are used include:

• Food Packaging.
• Magazines.
• Wall Paper.
• Wrapping Paper.
• Greeting Cards.
• Furniture Laminates.
• Paneling.

What is a gravure process?

gravure printing, photomechanical intaglio process in which the image to be printed consists of depressions or recesses on the surface of the printing plate. The process is the reverse of relief printing, in which the image is raised from the surface of the plate.

What are the advantages of gravure?

Gravure printing is characterized by excellent print quality and high printing speed. Its further advantages are that it involves a simple printing process, accurate ink use, and the flexibility of printing machine structures.

Is gravure printing still used?

Gravure printing is still widely used for the commercial production of post cards, magazines, newspapers, and corrugated cardboard (and other packaging materials). Rotogravure is utilized when the job calls for fine, detailed images in a high-speed, high-quality, and long-run printing process.

Is rotogravure still used?

The rotogravure process is still used for commercial printing of magazines, postcards, and cardboard product packaging.

Who invented gravure?

Karel Klíč invented the rotogravure process in the early 1890s. The first rotogravure press was set up at the Storey Company in England. Initially Klíč kept his new printing process a secret, even as his Rembrandt Intaglio Printing Company of London popularized the production of gravure prints.

What products are made from gravure printing?

About Gravure

• Publication printing (magazines, newspapers, catalogs), where long runs at high speed are common.
• Packaging printing, where printing on a variety of substrates is needed.
• Gravure is also used to print laminates, gift wrap, wallpaper, postage stamps, and the text on candies and pills, among other things.

What are the disadvantages of gravure?

Disadvantages of gravure printing

• Origination costs – The initial cylinder set up costs can be very high.
• Production Costs – Gravure printing is not always as competitive on price as other printing methods, especially for shorter print runs but is very competitive when compared to Far East suppliers.

What are the disadvantages of gravure printing?

When was gravure first used?

In the 1930s, gravure presses began to be used in the printing of packaging; a single-color gravure press in 1933 was set up to print Tootsie Roll wrappers. In 1938, multi-color gravure presses were used for the printing of Jell-O boxes.