Adhesive problems on my polymer plates
As I lay down multiple layers of colors and I’m working on accurate plate registration, I’m noticing that the adhesive on my photopolymer plates gets weaker and bubbles up in some areas the more times I move it.
This in combination with a little press wash got under one edge and dissolved the adhesive.
What are some tips here? Can I use a spay on adhesive or do I need to completely remove it and reapply when things get out of whack.
You can buy new adhesive backing to rejuvenate your used plates, but really you should look at changing the way you do registration.
Here’s what I do: adhere your plate to your base, making sure to square any crop or registrations marks to the lines etched in your base (if applicable). This will help to ensure that you are printing “square” on your press sheet.
Next, take a sheet of transparency and tape it to your packing with scotch/masking tape. You want to tape on two sides, using a piece larger than your transparency so it overlaps. Then, pull a print on your transparency.
With your transparency still in place, slide your press sheet underneath and align it to the proper registration. Carefully remove the transparency and hold the register sheet in place by hand in order to mark your registration corners/attach guides. You’re now properly registered without moving the plate.
Of course, I don’t know what press you’re printing on. I use this technique with most platen presses.
Hope this makes sense…
James Beard
Vrooooom Press
Austin, TX
www.vrooooom.org
Thx James… So you move your registration guides for each print job? How would you register color #2 in the above example?
Same process as above. Remove guides, print on transparency, then register to the 1st color or registration/crop marks by looking “through” the transparency to the printed sheet. I get very tight registration this way, as I am actively registering to what was printed, rather than some abstract like the lines on the base or the unprinted base.
As an alternate idea, you can try the Boxcar video method by laying your plate down in reverse where it needs to print, and then clamp your press together to attach it to the base. But for my purposes, the transparency is the easiest for accurate results.
Thx James! I’ll try the transparency method on my next job.
When you add new adhesive to plates, do you completely remove the old with a cleaner?