| printing process | transfer method | pressure applied | drop size | dynamic viscosity | thickness of ink on substrate | notes | cost-effective run length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offset printing | rollers | 1 MPa | 40–100 Pa·s | 0.5–1.5 µm | high print quality | >5,000 (A3 trim size, sheet-fed)
>30,000 (A3 trim size, web-fed) |
|
| Rotogravure | rollers | 3 MPa | 0.05–0.2 Pa·s | 0.8–8 µm | thick ink layers possible, excellent image reproduction, edges of letters and lines are jagged |
>500,000 | |
| Flexography | rollers | 0.3 MPa | 0.05–0.5 Pa·s | 0.8–2.5 µm | high quality (now HD) | ||
| Letterpress printing | platen | 10 MPa | 50–150 Pa·s | 0.5–1.5 µm | slow drying | ||
| Screen-printing | pressing ink through holes in screen | <12 µm | versatile method, low quality |
||||
| Electrophotography | electrostatics | 5–10 µm | thick ink | ||||
| Inkjet printer | thermal | 5–30 pl | 1–5 Pa·s | <0.5 µm | special paper required to reduce bleeding | <350 (A3 trim size) | |
| Inkjet printer | piezoelectric | 4–30 pl | 5–20 Pa·s | <0.5 µm | special paper required to reduce bleeding | <350 (A3 trim size) | |
| Inkjet printer | continuous | 5–100 pl | 1–5 Pa·s | <0.5 µm | special paper required to reduce bleeding | <350 (A3 trim size) |
Read more about this topic: Printing
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