A mass-production printing technique known as offset printing, or offset lithography, involves transferring the pictures on metal plates (offset) to rubber blankets or rollers before printing material is used. The print medium—typically paper—does not make touch with the metal plates directly. The plates’ lifespan is increased as a result. Furthermore, the procedure can be used successfully to media with rough surfaces like canvas, linen, or wood since the flexible rubber easily conforms to the surface of the print medium. Offset printing’s superior and reliable picture quality is its key benefit. Small, medium, and large volume jobs can all be completed using this procedure.

Today, sheet-fed offset printing and web offset printing are the two most widely used forms of offset printing equipment for publications. Paper sheets are supplied into the machine individually in sheet-fed offset printing. The pages can be trimmed after printing or pre-cut to the size of the final publication. Larger, faster equipment are employed in web offset printing. Large rolls of paper are used to feed these, and the individual pages are then separated and cut. Limited-edition books and other small to medium-sized fixed tasks are common uses for sheet-fed offset printing. Metropolitan newspapers and other high-volume publications with frequently changing content can benefit more financially from web offset printing.