Offset Printing

Johann Gutenberg, of the German city of Mainz, developed European printing technology in 1440, with which the classical age of printing began. All modern movable type printing can be traced back to Gutenberg's printing press, which he derived from the design of long known agricultural presses.
The first lithographic offset axiom printing press was created in England around 1875. The offset cylinder was covered with specially treated cardboard that transferred the printed image from the litho stone to the surface of the metal. About five years later, the cardboard covering of the offset cylinder was changed to rubber, which is still the most commonly used material.The first person to use an offset press to print on paper was most likely American Ira Washington Rubel in 1903. Roughly at the same time, a German engineer by the name of Christopher Hermann invented a similar machine.
Offset printing became the most popular form of commercial printing as improvements were made in plates, inks and paper, maximizing the technique's superior production speed and plate durability. It continues to be the most common form of high volume commercial printing, due to advantages in quality and efficiency in high volume jobs. (From wikipedia.org)