What is the history of offset printing?
The first lithographci offset printing press was designed to print onto metal and was created in England around 1875. At the time, that offset cylinder transferred images from the cylinder to a metal surface and was covered in a specially treated cardboard. In about 1880 a rubber covering was exchanged for the cardboard one, and is still today the most commonly used material. The first use of an offset press to print on paper was accidental, as are so many inventions. Its discovery is credited to American Ira Washington Rubel. In 1903, he noticed that during his press’ operation, when paper was not added that the stone printed its image onto the rubber covering and that there was an impression on both sides. When tested, the image on the back of rubber covering printed much more crisply onto paper than the the litho stone itself, and the offset lithographic industry was born.
