What is gravure printing?

Thick ink layer: The concave pit design of gravure printing allows ink to be fully filled and retained in the pits, thereby forming a thick ink layer during the printing process. This feature not only enhances the three-dimensional sense of printed materials, but also makes the colors more rich and full.

Vibrant colors and high saturation: Due to the thick ink layer, gravure printing can present more vibrant and saturated colors.

High printing plate durability: gravure printing plates are generally made of metal with strong wear resistance, which can maintain a high plate life during high-speed printing and reduce production costs.

Stable print quality: The gravure printing process is mature, easy to operate, and can ensure the stability and consistency of print quality, meeting the needs of large-scale production.

Fast printing speed: Thanks to its efficient printing mechanism, gravure printing can achieve fast and continuous printing. Currently, the mainstream gravure printing on the market is about 200 meters per minute.

Gravure printing is one of the four major printing methods. The pattern on the printing plate is lower than the blank area. During printing, the entire plate is covered with ink, and then the surface is wiped to leave only ink on the pattern area, which is transferred to the substrate and becomes the printed product.

In the mid-15th century, the prototype of gravure printing began to emerge, mainly through manual carving on copper or steel plates to complete the production of printing plates. This method, although primitive, laid the foundation for the development of gravure printing technology.

At the beginning of the 17th century, chemical etching was applied to the production of gravure printing plates, which improved the efficiency and quality of plate making. The specific method is to apply a layer of acid resistant and corrosion-resistant wax on the surface of the copper sheet, and then use a steel needle to draw the pattern, so that the wax layer is damaged, exposing the steel surface, and then forming pits through the corrosion process.

1878: Photogravure technology was born, which uses photography to produce film and uses carbon paper as an intermediate to greatly improve the quality and speed of plate making. The emergence of this technology marks an important step forward for gravure printing from manual engraving to mechanization and automation.

In the mid-20th century, the emergence of electronic engraving intaglio technology further promoted the development of intaglio printing technology. Electronic engraving intaglio relies on the simultaneous changes in surface area and depth of the mesh holes to reflect the depth of the layers, enabling the intaglio printing process to replicate higher quality high-end printed products.

Packaging industry: gravure printing is the most widely used in the packaging field. Whether it is packaging for food, medicine, or household items, gravure printing can enhance the attractiveness and market competitiveness of products with its exquisite pattern and text printing capabilities.

Publishing industry: In the field of high-definition text and image printing such as magazines and books, gravure printing also plays an important role. It can ensure clear text and delicate images, providing readers with a better reading experience.

Finance and Insurance: Products such as checks, bank cards, certificates, insurance policies, etc. that require high fidelity and anti-counterfeiting security performance are often printed using gravure printing technology.

Cosmetics and personal care: Packaging, labels, stickers, etc. for cosmetics and personal care products are often printed using gravure printing. Its attractive design and illustration printing ability can attract consumers' attention and enhance the brand image.

Other industries: In addition, gravure printing is widely used in industries such as catering, construction, and home furnishings. For example, menus, promotional materials, posters, outdoor billboards, etc. can all achieve exquisite and durable printing effects through gravure printing.

Advantages: gravure printing occupies an important position in the printing industry due to its thick ink layer, bright colors, durable printing plates, stable print quality, and fast printing speed. It can not only meet the printing needs of various complex patterns and texts, but also adapt to the requirements of large-scale production, providing high-quality printing services for various industries.

Disadvantage: With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and intensified market competition, gravure printing also faces some challenges. On the one hand, with the increasingly strict environmental regulations, solvent based inks are mostly used in gravure printing. Not environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, the rapid development of new printing technologies such as digital printing has also had an impact on the market share of gravure printing.