-The process relies on the fact that water and certain inks do not mix. Text and images are first set on plates through a variety of methods, most commonly through a chemical process similar to film developing. Next water and inks are alternately applied on these plates, with ink adhering on the image areas and water on everything else. The images on the plate are then rolled over or covered by a rubber sheet, called a “blanket”, and from the blanket, the image is then transferred to the paper stock. The process is then repeated separately for different colors. Colors are applied as microscopic dots, blended in different proportions so that the human eye interprets them as different shades and hues. At no point in time does the plate transfer ink directly onto the paper, hence the term “offset”.
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