Gravure printing is renowned for its exquisite printing quality, thick ink layer and high durability of printing plates. Gravure printed products cover a wide range of fields including publishing, packaging, and even the printing of valuable tickets such as banknotes and stamps. Due to the unique structure of gravure plates, compared with other printing methods, gravure printing has the following characteristics:

(1) Thick ink layer and uniform ink color

The ink layer thickness of gravure printing is 1-50μm, second only to screen printing (15-100μm), and significantly higher than letterpress (2-6μm) and offset printing (1-4μm). It has a wide range of density changes, rich gradation, and strong three-dimensional effect.

(2) Fine gradation, suitable for continuous tone surfaces.

In other printing methods, the areas between dots are blank, while in gravure printing, a thin layer of ink is applied between dots due to the strong fluidity of gravure ink.

(3) Strong comprehensive processing capabilities of gravure equipment.

Gravure uses detachable plate cylinders, allowing for changes in cylinder circumference to adapt to different finished product sizes. Gravure printing machines can also be equipped with additional processes such as varnishing, laminating, coating, die-cutting, slitting, punching, and cross-cutting. With the continuous emergence of various paper packaging products, such as shopping bags, commodity bags, garbage bags, and refrigerator preservation bags, as well as the extensive use of plastic flexible packaging in industrial product packaging, household daily product packaging, clothing packaging, and pharmaceutical packaging, various solid packaging boxes, liquid packaging boxes, cigarette packaging, and wine packaging all require the comprehensive processing capabilities of gravure equipment.

(4) Easy maintenance and high durability of gravure equipment and printing plates, with a long service life.

Gravure is the simplest printing method, with simple operation. After the gravure plate cylinder is chrome-plated, the plate surface is smooth and hard, allowing for multiple uses. Its durability is higher than other printing methods, making it suitable for large-scale printing and re-printing. The plate cylinder can be stored for a long time, and each set of plates can print up to 3-4 million copies.

(5) Versatile substrates and wide application range.

Gravure ink can be made from different resins, allowing printing on traditional paper as well as various materials such as plastic films, textiles, aluminum foil, cellophane, and leather. Over the years, various composite materials have been widely used in the packaging industry, and the composite packaging materials used in the world's flexible packaging industry will also develop towards antibacterial, high heat resistance, functional, and intelligent directions.

(6) Gravure printing with engraving has anti-counterfeiting functions.

Although the engraving gravure printing process is complex and requires a large investment in equipment, its design and plate-making are different from general printing methods, and the printed graphics have a distinct embossed feel. To this day, many security documents and high-denomination banknotes are still printed using engraving gravure technology.

(7) High efficiency and fast printing speed of gravure printing.

Since the plate-making operation of gravure plates is directly performed on the cylinder body, the images on the cylinder are seamless and continuous. The printing speed of domestic gravure rotary machines can generally reach 60-500m/min. The ink dries quickly, allowing for direct entry into the next process. The linked post-printing processing method makes the printing delivery quick.

The commonly used tools in gravure printing include engraving styli, sliding shoes, burr cutters and other products. Litian Century can produce various diamond tools required by the gravure plate-making industry.