A printing press is the name for a machine used to transmit the ink from a printing plate containing type to a piece of paper. Printing presses are comprised primarily of a printing plate and a surface that holds the paper that will be printed on. Relief plates have raised image areas to which ink is applied by rollers and then transferred either directly or indirectly to paper.
Intaglio plates have image areas recessed below the non-image areas.
Ink is applied to the entire plate and then wiped from the smooth non-image surface with a steel blade. The ink remaining in the recesses is transferred to the paper during printing. The first printing presses were made of wood and used a screw to push the printing plate, attached to the printing block, onto the normally-dampened paper that was placed in a flat bed. The printing block is commonly referred to as a platen. Rails were then attached to the press to allow the flat bed to be slid out of the press and then back to aid the printer.