Exhibition | Science Center showcases printing technology evolution

The Macau Science Center opened a printing technology exhibition last Friday at its Exhibition Center’s Gallery No 2, with more than 60 precious relics of the printing industry, including old printing equipment and models, on display.
Entitled “Impressions Printing – Exhibition on Printing Technology,” the showcase features interactive multi-media games and hands-on printing workshops, allowing visitors to discover more about ancient and modern printing technology, various types of printing techniques, the scientific principles of printing, and the latest advancements in the printing industry.
The exhibition has two stages, the first highlighting the early western printing relics provided by NSTM, as well as a modern printing technology zone which introduces lithography, screen printing, bronzing, UV, embossing, watermarks and other common printing techniques. In the second stage however, part of the exhibit pieces will be replaced with new ones, and for the first time, the center will cooperate with the city’s printing bureau, the local printing industry and historians to set up an area featuring 400 years of history.
The Macau Science Center not only provides tour guide services and printing experience workshops in the exhibition, but has also launched a smart-
phone application featuring a prize-giving game. Public lectures on popularizing science have also been held over the weekend where visitors were able to acquire information concerning the scientific knowledge of printing technology from different angles.
Printing is considered one of the four great inventions of ancient China. The emergence of this technology has made a significant contribution towards the spreading of culture and knowledge to the world and the evolution of human civilization. As time has passed and technology continues to advance, traditional printing has long been replaced by offset or digital printing. Modern printing technologies not only integrate the scientific achievements in physics, chemistry, optics, computers, electro-mechanics, but the materials, color and special effects processing are also constantly being improved in order to meet varied market demands for printed materials.