Is offset printing still used today?

Offset printing and digital printing are both popular printing methods for various industry professionals

   Offset printing is a type of lithography and currently the most mainstream commercial printing technology in the world. Its core principles are "oil water incompatibility" and "indirect printing".

   1. Oil water incompatibility: The graphic and textual parts on the printing plate are hydrophilic and hydrophobic, while the non graphic and textual parts are hydrophilic and hydrophobic.

   2. Indirect printing: Ink is not directly transferred from the printing plate to the substrate (such as paper), but first transferred to the blanket cylinder, and then pressed onto the paper by the blanket cylinder. The process of "offset" is the origin of its name and also brings key advantages such as high printing quality and long plate life.

Main applications：
Offset printing technology is very mature and suitable for large-scale, high-quality commercial printing. Its main applications include:

1. Publication printing:
    Magazines: High end fashion magazines, news magazines, etc. require exquisite color images and high-quality text.
Books: especially hardcover books, art albums, textbooks, and other books printed in large quantities.
Newspapers: Although some newspapers have turned to digital printing, a large number of mainstream newspapers still use offset printing.

2. Commercial promotional printing:
    Brochures and product catalogs: High quality color printed products that showcase product details and brand image.
Posters and posters: Large format commercial and artistic posters.
Instruction manual: Color instruction manual attached to household appliances, electronic products, etc

3. Packaging printing:
    Paper box and cardboard packaging: food packaging boxes, medicine boxes, cosmetics boxes, gift boxes, etc. Offset printing can provide extremely exquisite patterns and accurate colors, making it very suitable for attracting consumers on retail shelves.
Tags: high-end wine labels, food labels, etc. Usually, offset printing machines designed specifically for thin paper labels are used.
4. Commercial forms and direct mail advertisements:

    Although many of these markets have been replaced by digital printing, large quantities of forms and advertising flyers still use offset printing.

5. Special printing:
    Metal printing (such as cans), plastic printing, etc. require specialized offset printing equipment.

     If you need to print large quantities of brochures, books, packaging boxes, etc. with fixed content and high requirements for color and quality, offset printing is the best choice. If you need small batches, urgent items, or prints that require personalized variable data, digital printing is a more suitable choice.