offset lithography
- noun
- /ˈɔfˌsɛt ˌlɪθəˈɡræfi/
- Specialized
:
litografía offset
- Many businesses rely on offset lithography to produce high-quality prints quickly and cost-effectively.
- offset lithography to letterpress
Examples
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By the middle of the century, industry insiders began to regard web-fed offset lithography as cheaper, faster, and capable of much larger outputs than letterpress.
Academic text (2016) -
During the early twentieth century, offset lithography was developed in both the United Kingdom and the United States; the process involves the transfer of the image from a metal plate onto another surface, usually a cylinder, and from there the image is then offset onto paper.
Academic text (2016) -
The period of transition from letterpress to offset lithography differs somewhat from country to country.
Academic text (2016) -
For large-format printing, letterpress was often replaced by offset lithography, a faster and lighter method preferred by employers because of its substantial productivity gains.
Academic text (2016) -
Offset lithography paralleled contemporaneous developments in electronic typesetting technologies, thus reinforcing its popularity.
Academic text (2016) -
Many letterpress machinists retrained in offset lithography, moving from a heavy, manual, and time-consuming technology to a faster method that was less physically taxing.
Academic text (2016) -
The offset lithography process is commonly used for mass-production printing of newspapers and posters.
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When printing large volumes, offset lithography is often the preferred method due to its efficiency.
Synonyms
2
8.1
A printing method that moves ink from a plate to a rubber surface and then to paper
1
8.4
A printing method using a flat stone or metal to make ink prints
1
4.9
A printing method that transfers ink from a metal plate to a rubber sheet and then to paper
A printing method that uses a metal plate and a rubber sheet to print images on paper
A way of printing that uses plates made from photographs to copy pictures and text
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a specific printing technique that is compositionally built from 'offset' (a transfer method using a rubber blanket) + 'lithography' (a printing process), so its meaning as a printing method using an offset transfer is directly derivable from the constituents. This compound follows a transparent noun–noun technical naming pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Offset lithography is named for how the image is moved in lithography, a printing method. In this method the ink is first put on a metal plate, then offset onto a soft rubber blanket and finally onto the paper, so the two-step move is the reason for the name and for its use in mass printing.