How Does a Web Press Work?
All Webs Are Not on the Internet When the term “web” is invariably linked to the Internet in the public mind, it is sometimes difficult to remember that it has other meanings as well. In printing, a web press is any press that uses rolls of paper instead of cut sheets. The web in this case is the continuous river of paper that runs through the press. Printing presses may be classified in several ways. By geometry, there are flatbed presses and rotary presses. By printing technique, there are letterpresses, rotogravure presses, flexgraphic presses and offset presses. And by type of paper used, there are sheetfed and webfed presses. The Offset Web Press All web presses are rotary presses, meaning that the printing plate is mounted on a steel cylinder that turns. By far the most popular type of press for printing books, magazines and newspapers is the offset press. It’s called “offset” because the plate itself is right-reading–it looks exactly like the printed page, instead of a mirror i
