Offset lithography

Offset lithography is a variety of lithographic printing in which the image is transferred from the printing plate not directly onto the paper, but first onto an intermediate rubber cylinder (the offset blanket), and only from there onto the sheet. The word «offset» comes from the English term for «transfer» or «displacement». This indirect method reduces wear on the printing plate and yields an even, sharp impression on various surfaces. As in classical lithography, printing is based on the incompatibility of grease and water. Offset technology was developed in the early twentieth century and quickly became the dominant industrial method for the mass printing of books, magazines, posters, and reproductions. Although offset arose primarily as a commercial printing technology, twentieth-century artists, notably Pop Art masters, deliberately used its visual aesthetic — flat areas of colour and the characteristic halftone dot — as a means of expression. Offset lithography made high-quality reproduced imagery accessible and widespread, fundamentally transforming the culture of visual reproduction.