The most common methods of printing are letterpress, offset lithography and web offset. Letterpress printing is reproduction from type.
Ink is transferred from a plate to the printed surface by direct contact.
In offset lithography, thin, flexible metal plates are processed photographically and carry an image that is moistened and inked. The image is then transferred to a cylinder that reproduces it on paper or other surfaces. Web presses are used to print newspapers, magazines, and books. These presses are the largest, fastest, and most complex in use today. Both surfaces are cylinders, and paper is automatically fed between them from a roll.