Deckendruck

Deckendruck refers to a printing technique where ink is applied to the surface of a printing plate and then transferred to the substrate. This is a broad term encompassing various methods, but its core principle is the direct transfer of an image or text from a plate to the material being printed, such as paper, plastic, or metal. The term itself is German, literally meaning "cover print" or "surface print," highlighting the focus on covering the material with ink.

Historically, deckendruck has been a fundamental aspect of printing, with methods evolving over centuries. Early forms involved woodcuts and metal engravings where raised areas of the plate carried the ink. Modern adaptations include offset lithography, where the image is transferred to an intermediate blanket cylinder before reaching the substrate, and flexography, which uses flexible relief plates commonly employed for packaging. Screen printing, another form of deckendruck, utilizes a stencil-like screen to allow ink to pass through onto the desired surface. The choice of deckendruck method depends on factors like the substrate material, desired print quality, production volume, and cost.