Levypainatus

Levypainatus, also known as plate printing, is a printing technique that utilizes a flat plate as the image carrier. Unlike relief printing where the image is raised, or intaglio printing where the image is incised, in plate printing, the image is neither raised nor cut into the plate. Instead, the printing surface is entirely flat, and the transfer of ink relies on the difference in wettability between image and non-image areas.

The most common form of levypainatus is offset lithography, which evolved from the original lithographic process developed by Alois Senefelder in the late 18th century. In lithography, the image is drawn or printed onto a porous stone or a metal plate using a greasy ink. The non-image areas are then treated with a desensitizing solution, typically an acidic gum arabic mixture, which makes them hydrophilic (water-attracting) and oleophobic (oil-repelling). During printing, the plate is dampened with water, which adheres only to the non-image areas. An oil-based ink is then applied, which adheres only to the greasy image areas.

In offset lithography, the inked image is not transferred directly to the paper but to a rubber blanket cylinder, which then offsets the image onto the printing substrate. This offset process protects the printing plate from wear and allows for sharper, more detailed prints on a wider variety of surfaces, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Levypainatus remains a dominant printing method in commercial printing for publications, packaging, and many other applications due to its efficiency, quality, and versatility.