Why should I expect plate quality to improve by bringing in platemaking in-house versus what I experience with professionals that focus solely on platemaking and prepress? An incentive to bring platemaking in-house is often cost savings and fear of a press going down if a plate is damaged, missing, or worn out. In short, what … Read More...
Tag Archives: platemaking
Our industry experience a huge leap forward when direct imaging of photopolymer platemaking was introduced. Elimination of films and chemistry along with the many other benefits CDI has to offer is arguably the most significant advancement in plate quality over the past 3 decades. One not so good thing about this very positive move to … Read More...
Flat-Top Dots Let’s start by stating what is meant by the term flat-top dot. A flat-top dot on a photopolymer plate is one that accepts the transfer of data from an imaging device to the finished plate at a 1:1 ratio. The 1:1 imaging ratio is measured in the file, post-CDI imaging, and ultimately on the … Read More...
Flat-Top Dots Let’s start by stating what is meant by the term flat-top dot. A flat-top dot on a photopolymer plate is one that accepts the transfer of data from an imaging device to the finished plate at a 1:1 ratio. The 1:1 imaging ratio is measured in the file, post-CDI imaging, and ultimately on the … Read More...
2018 is here - what's your resolution? Plate imaging resolution is more important now than ever. With flat top plate technologies advancing to hold extremely fine detail, adding HD imaging capabilities to your platemaking can greatly boost print quality. The Details - Highlights and Fine Type Highlights and fine type are two classic problem areas … Read More...
When optimizing a plate material, it can be helpful have an idea of what range of exposure times to test based on UVA lamp intensity. While the method described below will provide a “ballpark” value, all typical plate optimization tests should still be carried out for fine tuning and verification. Reading Manufacturer Documentation Look for … Read More...
Struggling with printing pleasing highlights? Using these tips, your highlight issues can fade to zero! Prepress & Software Your press can only print as good as the artwork it’s given, so it’s only fitting that prepress plays a key role in improving highlight quality. While there are some tricks to provide an illusion of smooth … Read More...
As noted in Part One of this technical discussion, bringing prepress and platemaking in-house may offer many financial and productivity advantages. Of course there is also the simple appeal of having control of changes and turn-around times that can drive a desire for change. Working with your suppliers, it is important to carefully consider key … Read More...
Platemaking has evolved quite a bit over the past 20 years. It is no longer an art only to be completed by skilled craftsmen, but rather a "science" that is easily controlled and quick to learn. Even so, many printers are still using trade shops to complete all of their prepress and platemaking work. In … Read More...
Print geeks, dot worshippers, nerds... call us what you will, but APR's Technical Solutions Group (TSG) is asking questions and finding answers to bring new ideas to current flexo processes. You'll see some our recent blog posts are centered around these research projects. During the week of June 5th, the TSG gathered at APR's Glendale … Read More...