Other Gravure Presses

Other Gravure Presses

Sheetfed Gravure. While the vast majority of gravure production utilizes web presses, sheetfed gravure presses remain in operation. This method is employed for proofing, printing on paper only available in sheet form, fine art reproduction, posters, and extremely high-quality cosmetics cartons. It is also used for overall coating of a sheet printed by sheetfed offset to achieve high brilliancy, or for applying metallic inks incompatible with the offset method.

A schematic of a sheetfed gravure press is shown in Figure 4-4. Its printing unit consists of a printing cylinder, doctor blade, and ink fountain (comprising an ink pan and applicator roller). The dryer is positioned below the sheet transport and slow-down system.

These presses can operate with either a traditional gravure printing cylinder or a flat gravure printing plate.

Intaglio Plate Printing. Intaglio plate printing is the standard for producing bank notes, currency, securities, and social printing, such as the traditional engraving of business cards and invitations.

Intaglio presses are predominantly sheetfed, though some applications like postage stamps are executed on web presses.

The substrate is printed between an impression roller and a printing cylinder. A thick paste ink is transferred to the print cylinder via separate inking groups for each color; each group consists of an ink pan, transfer rollers, a milling roller, and an inking roller.

Intaglio shares the principle of engraved cylinders with gravure but utilizes a completely different inking system. Non-printing areas on the cylinder are cleaned with a continuous roll of cleaning paper. The image is then transferred to the substrate under extremely high pressure, after which sheets pass through a dryer. As the forerunner of modern gravure, intaglio is still used for fine art printing on small presses where inking and doctoring are performed manually, and paper is often moistened to enhance ink transfer.

Offset Gravure and Flexo Gravure. The offset gravure system, or "indirect gravure," is primarily used to print on materials with irregular surfaces.

This unit is a standard gravure print unit augmented with a rubber-covered transfer roller. The substrate is threaded between the standard impression roller and this transfer roller, which then prints the image onto the product. This transfer method from cylinder to roller to product is identical to offset lithography, hence the name. Typical applications include decorating wood veneer or metal surfaces. Irregular shapes, such as construction molding, can be carried to the printing nip within a recessed conveyor belt.

A variation uses a gravure cylinder in place of an anilox roll on a flexo press. The flexo plate cylinder is mounted with a smooth rubber blanket. The image from the gravure cylinder is printed onto this blanket and then transferred to the substrate. This application, termed flexo gravure, is used for clear film overwraps for towels and tissues, and premium plastic handle bags requiring high-quality reproduction.

Gravure with Flexo Units. Flexographic units are sometimes added to gravure presses to imprint variable data like prices and addresses onto a product whose primary design is gravure-printed. In these cases, the flexo unit is designed as an attachment installed on a gravure printing unit's frame.

Some presses are designed to allow a flexo print unit to substitute for a gravure unit via a movable cart containing a plate cylinder, anilox roller, and reverse angle doctor blade mechanism. Conversely, a gravure cart carries the printing cylinder, splash guards, inking system, and doctor blade. Such combination presses print pharmaceutical packaging or paper cups, where simpler designs are executed in flexo and more complex ones in gravure.

Gravure and flexo are used simultaneously on the same press when part of the copy requires frequent changes during a run, such as sale prices or retail addresses, and is therefore done in flexo. This combination also personalizes special product orders.

Gravure Roller coating.

Looking toward 2026, the gravure printing sector continues to adapt within a broader industry shift toward automation and data-driven workflows. Sustainability remains a key driver, with ongoing development in solvent recovery systems and the use of water-based inks. These advancements aim to enhance efficiency while meeting stricter environmental standards without compromising the process's renowned print quality.