18Printing and Reproduction of Recorded Media

business letters and greeting cards, and printing on various media, as well as supporting activities related to printing activities, such as bookbinding, printing plate making services, and data imaging. The supporting activities included in this group are an integral part of the printing activities, and the products (e.g., printing plates, bound books, and computer disks or files) that are an integral part of the printing activities are almost always provided by these activities. Ownership of input materials is not relevant to the classification of printing and reproduction of recorded media activities because the main group 18 explicitly includes processing activities. The processes used in printing include various methods/ways to transfer an image from a source (e.g., a plate, screen, or computer file) to various media, such as paper, plastic, metal, textile, or wood. The most prominent method of printing is transferring an image from a plate or monitor screen to a medium by lithography, gravure, or screen printing/flexography. Often, a computer file is used to directly "drive" the printing mechanism to create the image or electrostatic and other types of equipment (digital or non-impact printing). Although printing and publishing may be carried out by the same unit (e.g., a newspaper), it is increasingly rare for these separate activities to be carried out at the same location. This division also includes the reproduction of recorded media, such as compact discs (CDs), video recordings, software on discs or tapes.