subject: Superb quality printing with the intaglio press! [print this page] Superb quality printing with the intaglio press!
The printing press is among the greatest and most significant inventions that the world has seen. The invention of the printing press has influenced countless aspects of everyday life by enabling the written word to be reproduced many times over. Previously, for books to be reproduced they were copied manually, and it could take years to reproduce one book. Producing copies of a book in any quantity tended to be a lifetime's work and even when copied they were only available to the social elite.
The intaglio printing press changed all of this. By creating a printing plate that could be used again and again, intaglio printing presses permitted the rapid reproduction of written work. Suddenly information only available to a limited number was available to the masses through the manufacture of numerous copies with significant repercussions to public education and literacy. It was the reduction in time taken to reproduce literature that had the biggest impact, what's more, it meant that official documents and important messages were spread a lot more efficiently. No single invention has changed the way in which the world functions to such a degree.
It is partly due to the ease of use and its simplicity that has brought about the success of the intaglio printing press. To begin, a printing plate has to be created on which is etched or engraved the material to be reproduced. Ink is placed on the printing plate, the ink is then wiped from the surface of the plate leaving the ink only in the incisions. Paper is then placed over the top of the printing plate and compressed by using a tool such as a heavy roller. The ink that is held in the grooves, transfers onto the paper as a result of the intaglio press process.
Today the process has evolved considerably however the basic principles of the intaglio printing press are still very much used with the using copper of zinc printing plates. Nowadays the intaglio press is used frequently by the US treasury, for printing their paper currency. Nowadays the Intaglio press is mainly found in the fine art industry where it produces an artistic, attractive finish to texts or images that are reproduced .
Major progress in many areas was made following the invention of the Intaglio press. Written work could be reproduced quickly and in substantial quantities, which had a great positive effect on many areas from education and literacy to religion and science . The process used with the Intaglio print press continues to have many uses in todays world and they look set to continue.
