What is special printing? With the development of technology, this concept is constantly being updated. my country's "Special Printing Technical Terminology Standard" (GB/T 9851.8-1990, which was abolished on October 14, 2005) defines special printing as: Special printing is a printing technology that uses different printing processes, materials or processing methods than conventional printing to meet specific needs. The English term is 'specialty printing'. This clearly points out that the main differences between special printing and general printing are in five aspects: plate making, printing, post-printing processing methods and material production and use. Any one of these five aspects that is different from general printing should be considered special printing. Common specialty printing methods include: metal brush printing, glass printing, leather printing, plastic film printing, tube printing, curved surface printing, magnetic card and smart card printing, ticket anti-counterfeiting printing, decal printing, self-adhesive label printing, thermal ink printing, color-changing ink printing, pearlescent ink printing, foaming ink printing, magnetic ink printing, fluorescent ink printing, embossing printing, 3D printing, laser holographic iris printing, liquid crystal printing, and combined printing.
Specialty printing has the following basic characteristics: the relativity of the concept (specialty printing is a branch of printing developed using general printing technology and cannot be completely distinguished from traditional printing); the diversity of printing substrates (in addition to paper, it also includes materials such as metal, glass, and curved surfaces); the diversity of inks (special inks such as liquid crystal ink and magnetic ink can be used); the specialization of printing equipment (such as special cameras and pressure equipment); and the specialization of the printing process (including pressure-based and pressureless printing, special plate-making processes, etc.).
With increasing customer demands and the development of specialty printing technology, a new definition of specialty printing has emerged: specialty printing is something that ordinary printed materials lack, injecting elements that influence the five senses into the printed material to enhance its expressive effect and better fulfill its unexpected functions as a printed product. In other words, it is a means of increasing the added value of printed materials. Therefore, DNP has renamed its original term for specialty printing "value-added printing." It can be explained as a printing method that, within the same time frame, using the same amount of material and employing the same printing process, can achieve two or more functions.
Specialty printing has development potential, and its field offers promising prospects.
