Gravure Printing
A printing technique which uses printing plates where printing elements are recessed as compared with spacing elements. Printing elements are in the form of small raster cells separated by thin dividers. A printing plate is produced on a metal cylinder. During the printing process ink is applied in plenty over the whole surface of the rotating plate. Then a special knife (scraper) removes the ink totally from spacing elements and its excess from printing elements. The ink is transferred to the substrate under the contact pressure.
Special features of the print:
- no sharp contours and lines;
- raster lines of spacing elements are visible in the areas of solid fill;
- minor ink relief;
- notched edge of an image or stroke contour.
a
b
c
Fig. 1. Republic of Belarus. Passport issued in 1997:
a — back endpaper (data page). Paper substrate; b — the same. Laminate overprint. Fuzzy image contours. White light; c — the same. UV light. Small cells left by spacing elements of the printing plate
a
b
c
Fig. 2. Azerbaijan. Passport issued in 2007:
a — data page. Insert. Paper substrate; b — the same. Text. Notched edge of a stroke contour. White light; c — the same. Text. Small cells left by spacing elements of the printing plate