The basic printing process for most of the 25,000 commercial printers in the U.S. is the sheet-fed press. In most cases fed by sheets of either a coated or matte finished paper, the press pulls these sheets through the printing units at the rate of 5,000 to 18,000 sheets per hour depending on the age of the press. Newer presses displayed at Graph Expo in fall 2006 were all operating at speeds well in excess of 15,000 sheets per hour. There are basically three press sizes: 35” x 50”, 50” x 70”, 70” x 100”. The smaller press delivers a typical printing sheet of 14" by 20", the larger press will deliver a 20" by 29" size, and the most advanced in the market today delivers a 29.5" x 41" sheet. While many commercial printers started with a one- or two-color press, once successful they gradually upgrade to more color units to accommodate customer needs. The standard for a versatile commercial printer would be a minimum of four colors and in many cases there may be a six-color configuration with a coating tower at the end of the press to add gloss to the finished sheet. The fifth and sixth printing towers are often special inks to add even more versatility in color for the agency or marketing executive. Once printed, the sheet must be dried and then either folded or cut for final delivery.

Contributed By:

Terry Tevis
President
TATevis & Company