Offset lithography has become the most popular form of commercial printing and is a commonly used print technique where the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. The term offset refers to the fact that the image isn’t printed directly to the paper from the plates, but is offset or transferred to another surface that then makes contact with the paper.

The lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, employs a flat image carrier (printing plates) on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a water-based fountain solution, keeping the non-printing areas ink-free. The printing plates may be made of metal, plastic, rubber, paper and other materials, whilst the image to be printed is put on the printing plates using photomechanical, photochemical, or laser imaging processes.

Compared to other types of printing methods, commercial offset printing is best suited for cost-effectively producing large volumes of high quality prints for magazines, brochures, leaflets, stationery, and books. The process produces consistent results with sharp, clean images and type due to the rubber blanket conforming to the texture of the printing surface, and offers the advantage of being able to handle a large number of sheet sizes and formats.