The impression cylinder is a component of printing presses and plays a crucial role in transferring the printed image onto the paper. The impression cylinder ensures clean and even transfer. The function and arrangement of the impression cylinder vary depending on the printing process:
The impression cylinder usually consists of a sturdy metal roller with a precisely machined surface. It is mounted so that it can rotate precisely and is perfectly aligned with its counterpart, such as the blanket cylinder in offset printing or a printing plate in letterpress printing. The impression cylinder picks up the paper and presses it against the ink-bearing blanket during the printing process, transferring the print image.
In offset printing, the printing cylinder does not come into direct contact with the printing plate, but only with the blanket cylinder, which has previously transferred the image from the printing plate. The paper is fed between the blanket and the printing cylinder, with the printing cylinder providing the necessary counterpressure. The precision of its movement directly influences the accuracy of fit and sharpness of the print.
Even slight deviations in the cylinder or its concentricity can cause colour deviations, double images or blurred contours. For this reason, printing cylinders are manufactured with great precision and regularly maintained. In modern printing machines, they are often equipped with sensors that continuously monitor and regulate the paper feed.
More articles related to this topic:
New iPhone colour measuring devices: xade nano+ in test
A new generation of colour measuring devices is entering the market: in contrast to the classic measuring devices, which are available as a fully encapsulated system either as a colourimeter or as a spectrophotometer, and then supply the data to a computer via an interface or app or display it directly, the new generation of colour measuring devices consist only of lighting and software, with the optics of a modern iPhone from Apple being used as the sensor. Until now, there have been two categories of measuring devices on the … read more
Fogra60 proofs for metal decor printing available
Proof.de is featured twice in the “Fogra Aktuell” magazine
In the current issue of Fogra News “Fogra Aktuell” Proof GmbH is involved in two places. Firstly, a summary of the Fogra report on our first FOGRA55 certification for seven-colour printing with extended colour space in CMYKOGV appeared. You can also find more information on our FOGRA55 certification on the Fogra website: https://fogra.org/en/press-releases/fogracert-erste-cpc-zertifizierung-fuer-fogra55-cmykogv-330 and on proofing.de: And secondly, there was a report on the completion of the research project for textile digital printing, FOGRA58, in which we were allowed to investigate and test the proof capability of the new textile … read more
New in the Proof Shop: Separate invoice email
At long last, we are able to fulfil a request made by many of our customers: from now on, you can register two email addresses in the Proof Shop – one for logging in and receiving status or tracking emails, and a separate one solely for receiving digital PDF invoices. Over the past few years, we have already switched many Proof customers to digital invoicing at their request, i.e. we generated a PDF invoice and then sent it manually to a second email address on file with us in the … read more
Incorrect grayscale display in Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
Adobe products are ideal for image retouching and layout and handle RGB and CMYK colour profiles very well. However, when editing and retouching grayscale images, for example for a black-and-white photo book, the experience is quite different. Suddenly, images look completely different in InDesign than they do in Photoshop, and even when exporting the image to PDF, greyscale images are suddenly treated differently. This article explains where the problems lie with black-and-white images and greyscale profiles in InDesign and Photoshop layouts, and how you can work in a more ‘colour-accurate’ … read more
RGB colour spaces explained
RGB colour spaces are colour systems that represent different hues with the three primary colours red, green and blue. RGB colour spaces are used in digital image processing, photography and computer technology to precisely define colours. The most important RGB colour spaces and their special features are: sRGB sRGB is the most widely used RGB colour space and is used by most monitors, printers and digital cameras. It was developed by HP and Microsoft in the 1990s to create a standard for colour representation on the internet and on various … read more
New PANTONE Formula Guides with incorrect ink formulations
Several errors have crept into the new PANTONE 2023 fan decks. In both the PANTONE Solid Coated and the Solid Uncoated color fans, there are colours for which the new ink formulations are incorrect. In the PANTONE Formula Guide Solid Coated fan 2023, PANTONE 107 C and PANTONE 108 C have absolutely identical ink recipes, as well as PANTONE 113 C and PANTONE 114 C. As the colors differ, this cannot be the correct. Several errors in the PANTONE Solid Uncoated fan 2023 In the PANTONE Solid Uncoated fan 2023 … read more
New edition of ISOCoatedV2 in M1 in sight?
Even almost 9 years after the introduction of the successor colour space PSOCoatedV3, ISOCoatedV2 / FOGRA39 is still the most widespread colour space in Europe. We at Proof GmbH count around 200 jobs from time to time for the German Printing and Media Industries Federation, among others. In the last count, proofs in ISOCoatedV2 accounted for around 68% of all proof jobs at our company. This is a clear sign of the continued widespread use of the colour space. ISOCoatedV2: From the classic colour space to the beacon of the … read more
Fogra Colour Management Symposium 2026 in Munich from 24 to 26 February
The most important colour management event takes place every two years in Munich: the Fogra Colour Management Symposium. Once again this year, all professionals are invited to make the pilgrimage to Munich: two days of lectures, discussions and a Bavarian evening await participants. Matthias Betz, owner of proof.de, will also be there again: for many years, he has been taking advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues and friends, learn about new technologies, hardware and software, and talk to colleagues from Fogra, freieFarbe, GMG and many more. In … read more
New feature: Orders & individual items can now be reordered with a single click
From now on, it’s much easier and faster: in the Proof Shop, you can call up and reorder entire orders or individual proofs directly from your order history. This saves you from having to re-enter every detail and gives you the assurance that all settings will be exactly the same as last time. With just a few clicks, your proofs are reordered – reliably, easily and in no time at all. What exactly is new? You can find your order history in your customer account. There are two new options … read more