Offset Printing Blankets

Offset printing blankets are used in printing presses. They are a fundamental part of the offset printing process and the blanket itself must be replaced regularly. Blankets become smashed over time and lose their ability to compress. When blankets become smashed they are thinner and will poorly transfer the ink leading to weak images and poor image quality.

What if an Offset Printing Blanket?

Blankets are special consumables that are unique to each printing press. The blanket basically transfers the latent print image from the printing plate to the paper. In modern presses the paper does not actually touch the plate and instead a blanket is used to help the plate last as long as possible.

Blankets are usually made of several layers of rubber and fabric. They are cut to very precise dimensions and are made at specific thicknesses. Blankets will have bars or punched holes on each end so that they can be anchored to the blanket cylinder and pulled into tension.