A hybrid of letterpress printing and offset lithography that uses a metal relief plate mounted to a plate cylinder to transfer the ink to a rubber blanket, similar to that used in offset lithography. The blanket then transfers the ink to the substrate. The use of a raised image carrier eliminates the need for a fountain solution. Dry offset is not widely used commercially, as it has difficulty reproducing fine line detail or halftones, but is useful for printing on rough or irregular surfaces, such as aluminum cans. Also known as dry offset and offset letterpress.
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