Printing is a way to produce an image on paper using ink or other substances. It is also a way to communicate ideas in writing, with pictures and by other means. The word comes from the fact that printing is an act of pressing against something to create a mark, and the marks can then be copied many times. In the modern sense of the word, printing refers to a method of reproducing a text or illustration on a durable surface with colored inks and in an agreed number of copies.
The process of printing is based on an alphabet that can be printed in a limited number of different ways to make words or numbers visible. This simplifies the tasks of producing written material, making it possible to write and read at a quicker pace than handwriting, which is based on thousands of ideograms that require much more time and effort to reproduce by hand than alphabetic symbols. Printing also makes it easier to reproduce photographs and illustrations, allowing for the creation of books, newspapers and magazines.
When a book, newspaper or magazine is in print, it means it has been published and is available for purchase. A book or article that is “out of print” is no longer being produced or sold, and may be difficult to find.
The color separations in four-color printing are created by creating a series of screens that are positioned at the correct angle to each other. The angles of the screens are black 45 degrees, magenta 75 degrees, yellow 90 degrees and cyan 105 degrees.