• Glossary

Technical terms O

Opacity

The property of a paper that limits show-through from printing of opposite side or from another printing sheet. It is located in the range of 0 to 100, with increasing light the transmittance decreases. A value of 100 therefore implies a full opacity. In the printing area the opacity is relevant in relation to paper and printing inks. It distinguishes between transparent, translucent and opaque colors, so-called deck colors. The opacity of paper is due to the duplex capability an important size, which is valued greater than 80. If the value is lower, the result is the translucency of the pressure on the other side. Depending on the requirement, the paper is used only for the one-sided printing. In the manufacture of paper higher opacity values are reached by the admixture of fillers or by the increase of the wood share. Coatings can increase the opacity of a material as well.

Offset Printing

Is a flat printing process: Printing and non-printing elements of the printing plate lie in one plane. The color is applied with the help of a rubber blanket cylinder. This protects the pressure plate and allows it to use various substrates as printing media. This can be paper, cardboard, sheet metal or plastic foil. Among all printing possibilities in the book, newspaper, packaging and promotional print the offset printing exhibits the largest dissemination. The term "flat" pressure results from the fact that printing and non-printing areas are on the same level. Those elements mentioned  first reject water, the motif-free one hold water.