Printing techniques

Due to our more than 108 years of experience in printing technology
we can produce and combine the following techniques:

OFFSET

Document printing method consisting in applying a homogeneous mixture of ink, generally olily, and water on a metal plate usually made of an aluminium alloy and sensitised with a photographic emulsion.

English word, originally coming from the fact that the shape of the printer is completely smooth. Its a lithography-like operation, where the plate inside the machine is helped by rollers to distribute this homogeneous mixture of ink and water, leaving the areas of the plate sensitised (hydrophobic) with ink and the areas that are not (hydrophilic) with water.

The image that is created is transferred to a rubber-covered cylinder and then to the ink paper, making a rigid cylinder called printing cylinder as a base.

The difference with traditional lithography is that the image or text is transferred to the surface to be printed indirectly. With this technique we usually print Pantone spot colours and metallic inks.

DIGITAL

High quality digital toner printing is available for short and medium runs. Rough and textured cardboard can be combined with smooth and coated papers.

We have colour control tools and colour adaptation for each type of substrate to be used. We have also added the technology for the use of white ink and selective varnish, as well as 3D varnish or digital printing.

We have large digital format plotters with water-based inks and 8 colours for printing high quality images up to 600 dpi, on high quality photographic paper and art reproduction on Fine-Art type papers (Hahnemühle).

There is a wide range of combination possibilities in digital printing.

LETTERPRESS PRINTING

Typographic printing or Letterpress was the most widely used technique during the middle of the last century.

Consisting of direct contact between the mold of letters made of "types", generally of wood or lead, and the paper by means of pressure. When the ink comes into contact with the paper, it does not do so uniformly since the pressure between the paper and the mold is never uniform, which is why small imperfections sometimes appear. With the use of porous or large volume papers we can achieve better results even without using ink. Its unique and handmade character makes it widely used for printing weddings and business cards. For this type of printing we use the four Minervas as it was done more than 100 years ago. It is very common to find graphic designers in our workshop doing Letterpress courses.

LASER/
CONVENTIONAL DIE-CUTTING

For shapes that exceed the 90° angle of traditional guillotines, we have two types of die-cutting: conventional die-cutting and laser die-cutting. Both allow us to make a complete cut, half cuts, slits, perforations and creases on any type of material.

Conventional die cutting. A mould with strips on a wooden base reproduces the outline of a figure or motif. It can be cut or marked by means of pressure, for example to facilitate folding.

Laser minting. When the design to be minted has a high level of detail, the blade cannot reproduce this sinuosity. The best option is the laser, which will easily cut the design. It is also recommended for small runs where the cost of a die is not worth it.

HOT STAMPING/
HOT FOIL STAMPING PRINTING

Sophisticated and elegant, it is the ultimate special finish as it works with the most exclusive paper or the most common cardboard.

It is the only printing system that can achieve total reflection of light (gloss) on the printed motif. A simple system, an embossing (it can be made of magnesium, bronze or aluminium) with the motif to be printed, which by means of pressure and heat makes the foil adhere to the material with the desired design.

The customer decides whether he wants the pressure mark to be visible and tactile, or whether he wants it to have a bas-relief. The availability of foils is not as wide as the chromatic variety that can be achieved with ink, even so we have a catalogue of more than 80 colours (glossy or matt), metallic and fluorescent versions, as well as holographic or transparent foils.

EMBOSSING AND DEBOSSING

Embossing is the most popular finish. Embossing gives body and craftsmanship to the piece without losing any of its properties.

A good volume can be achieved and a touch of genius can be given to the design if we work with a paper with natural fibres, preferably with a percentage of cotton, which allows a good height. Moreover, if it is created without any printed or patterned motifs, the effect will be even more striking.

In its creation process, the paper is sandwiched between a female engraving and a male polymer. The trace on the other side is unavoidable. To hide it, it is recommended to back-glue with another paper of the same grammage, never less, especially if the embossed motif is large.

THERMOGRAPHY

Thermography or "False Embossing" is the magic of giving volume to texts or images with a tactile dimension by means of a combined resin, mixed with powder and activated by a heat source.

Few printers nowadays use this technique. In our workshop we use this technique with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen.

The original should preferably be smooth to emphasise the volume of the lettering.

This was Johannes Gutenberg's aim when he devised this technique was to be able to "touch the words".

UVI VARNISH

Varnish is a colourless substance used both to protect the paper and to enhance its visual appearance through its thickness and texture.

UVI varnish is applied as a direct ink that dries under ultraviolet light. It can be chosen matt or glossy and is applied by offset or screen printing.

It allows the highlighting of certain areas and, if the piece is first laminated for screen printing, the enhancement effect is even more evident.

If the varnish is applied by screen printing, the final result has a higher quality than offset printing. But it is also more expensive.

BACK-GLUING & INKING EDGES

Why limit yourself to the surface when you can play with the thickness, colours and variety of materials?

Edge inking is a completely handmade process that looks better the thicker the paper used. It also allows the use of the metallic colour palette: gold, silver and bronze.

Edge gilding used to be a protection system for books, but today it has been reconverted into a finish that adds luminosity and style.

Gilding is the perfect solution if we are looking for a contrast of visual and tactile sensations. It allows us to combine colours beyond the edge, use different types of support and achieve unusual thicknesses. Edge coloring is a completely handmade process that looks better the thicker the paper used. It also allows us to use the metallic colour: gold, silver and bronze.