Task 1

The history of Print has seen many different techniques. It started in the early 1400’s and has developed its techniques to be quicker and more effective for their many uses. The question is just how far have they developed and is the cost and time it’s taken to get this far been beneficial to us?

 Originally all techniques were done by hand; one of the first was etching. Etching is a technique where a cut is made into a material such as marble or granite using a strong acid. It has both advantages such as being very useful for making artistic designs, however it is a very long and slow process so is not often used in modern day other than for art purposes. However it has been developed into laser etching, which is now used for architectural models. 

Another hand technique is Intaglio. It involves an image being marked into a surface, known as matrix or plate. The marks are made by etching and engraving, dry point, aqua cut or mezzotint. The surface is then covered in resin or anti-resistant wax, and then etched into the ground to reveal the plate. The plate is dipped into acid and t bites into the plate where it was exposed from etching. Intaglio has its advantages such as being useful in many different ways, so is therefore available to a wide audience. It can be used for almost anything so can be used personally or within a business. Like etching Intaglio also has the disadvantage of being slow and a long process meaning it may not be beneficial as time would be lost. Despite having its disadvantages it still has its uses today. It is commonly used for bank notes, passports, and postage stamps.

Linocut is another hand printing technique.  It involves a design being cut into a sheet of linoleum with a sharp knife. The lino is then inked and a piece of paper is placed over it. It’s then run through a printing press to transfer the ink to paper.  Linocut is considered to be one of the easier techniques as well as being cheap and flexible. However it does have its disadvantages such as; any mistakes made are irreversible, texture is hard to achieve, it is hard to cut, limited colours can be used and therefore it is very time consuming. Many artists still use this today for their work, cards and leaflets, bags and textiles. Woodcut is basically the same process but cut into wood, it is less effective to Linocut in the fact it is easier to do however woodcut is more effective in that it is more defined. It was used a lot in the 18^th century by the middle class as they manufacture cheaper and poor quality prints, to make money through trading. It's main use was was mass producing maps, illustrations and printing pattens. It’s not widely used today but is occasionally used for textiles, although it is not a popular method because Linocut is an improved version.

Screen print involves using woven mesh to transfer ink onto a substrate as a form of stencilling. It creates a picture or a pattern and is still used today for posters or display stands. An advantage of screen-printing is that a single image can be scaled upwards or downwards, meaning in businesses can use it to print their logo onto a small or large surface. It is also quite a quick process that can be applied to numerous of materials so has a wide range of uses. A disadvantage is that it is difficult to colour mix successfully so your range of colours is limited. The detail is also limited. It is mostly used within businesses to create logos nowadays, as they can adjust the size easily for its uses.

The final hand printed technique is Lithography. This involves an image being drawn on stone with a greasy/oily substance, which transfers the ink to paper to produce a printed page. Its advantages are that it has an excellent quality of printing and is fairly cheap. It can also be printed onto a variety of surfaces rather than just paper. However it has disadvantages such as only being able to print a limited number of copies.  It is also time consuming. It is still used in modern day to print onto flat surfaces such as paper, cloths and metals. It is mostly used for artistic designs and artwork both in the past and now. 

Later on printing became more mechanical based with techniques such as letterpress. A tool called a ‘type high bed’ is used and involves a process where many copies are produced by a repeated direct impression of an inked raised surface, against sheets of paper.  As the first type of mechanical printing it still had its disadvantages, similar to many of the hand techniques it is still quite time consuming. However it also has its advantages as it is of a very high quality and therefore is still used today by graphic designers to create invitations, announcements and posters.

Another example of mechanical printing was a technique called Gravure. This is where an image is etched onto a surface of mental plate. The etched area is then filled with ink and the plate is rotated on a cylinder, which transfers the image to the paper. It was originally used for artwork. Like everything it has its advantages and disadvantages. Its main advantages are that it is of a very high quality and bright colours can be used. However its main disadvantage, like many others, is the time and cost it can take to produce a product from Gravure printing. Despite this it is one of the several techniques still actively being used today in the new field of printed electronics. It’s also used for long, high quality print runs, such as magazines, catalogues, wrapping paper, furniture laminates, greeting cards, packaging and printing onto fabrics and wallpapers.

Screen process printing is also a mechanical technique where ink is applied with stencils. The ink is applied to the back of the chosen image and pushed through open areas. Advantages of this approach to printing are that many copies can be produced before any reapplication of ink is necessary. This is why it is still often used today for making T-shirts, posters and stickers. Its disadvantages are that the design being printed has to be a very limited design.

Finally there is also Digital printing, which rapidly increased the development of print. One technique now available is photocopying. It involves paper being exposed to a negative photographic, a positive transparency or a digital exposure unit to produce a final image. It  made it possible to be able to print images of various sizes and making accurate copies. However the equipment is expensive. Many different areas, from personal use, businesses and within schools, use it today.
 

Another digital print technique is laser; it is a common type of computer printer that quickly produces high quality text and graphics on paper. The process involves removing a charge from the areas exposed to light. The charged area then picks up dry ink. The main advantages of laser printing is the speed, high quality, doesn’t create a loud and distracting sound in work places and are easy for everyone to use. However their disadvantages such as they are fairly costly, space consuming, aren’t very economical and can be dangerous to the atmosphere and your health due to the high voltages. This technique is commonly used today particularly in work places and businesses.  Businesses use it to print Microsoft documents, invoices and many other documents necessary in maintaining a business.

Inkjet printing works by spraying ionized ink onto paper in a desired shape or pattern. It is very similar to laser printing, except it is a considerably slower process. However it does have advantages over laser printing, as it is a lot cheaper, although the ink is expensive.  Inkjet printers are mostly used for home and personal use as it is cheaper than laser.

There is also desktop publishing, which is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer. The software allows you to join and rearrange text and images as well as using/detecting digital files. It has advantages such as a low cost and the ability to edit. However a disadvantage is there is a certain standard of knowledge needed to know how to use the software so may not be the preferred option by many for this reason. Through software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and many others it allows people to be able to make their own business cards and anything they want.

I interviewed an international company, Serena Software, with a $150 billion income about their views on printing and how they use it within their company. They explained how they use LaserJet printing within their company and said that; "We are very happy with our printing method as it provides very quick and good quality prints, and suits all of our printing needs. However for a large company who relies on our ability to print it is very expensive as the toners are so dear! A cheaper
method would be beneficial to us, and is the only obvious improvement to be made." When asked how often they print they told us that the printer is in use constantly during the working day, we rely on being able to print to keep our company going." I then asked how it would affect their company if they still relied on methods of printing like etching. They explained how it simply wouldn't work, it'd be too slow and costly, they wouldn't be able to run the company.

I personally believe that although it has been a long and costly process, the evolution of Print has been very  beneficial to everyone, from individuals to businesses. There may still be obvious improvements to be made but the progress made so far has allowed us to make serious achievements in other fields as well. Businesses such as technology and computer companies, as well as magazines and newspapers would not be able to run nearly as smoothly and efficiently, if at all, without the incredible advance in printing.