A Printer is involved in setting up and operating letterpress, lithographic, flexographic and gravure printing presses.
Letterpress printing is the oldest form of printing. Ink is applied to a raised surface and transferred directly to paper through pressure.
Offset lithography is a process of printing from a plate having a flat surface (planographic).
Flexographic printing uses a raised surface on a flexible rubber or photopolymer plate.
As a Printing Machinist you must be able to:
- prepare image materials such as relief, planographic (flat) and intaglio printing plates
- fit printing plates or cylinders on presses, mix the inks that go on them and adjust the colour flow to the image
- adjust the paper feeding devices that separate and feed sheets through the machine or the web (reel) of substrate
- check that the substrate passes through the press correctly
- carry out minor repairs and routine maintenance
- set-up and operate 'in-line' finishing functions
- work with single and multi-colour printing presses
- perform all the above tasks in both small business and large manufacturing settings
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