Intaglio plates & Photopolymer plates

What is the difference ? May sound stupid…but I want to know. Is it because one needs a positive image and the other a negative image, is it only that ? The info on Internet is not clear. I want a clear and simple answer for my slow and beginner brain.

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Intaglio process is not a relief process traditionally. Reservoirs are created in the surface of a plate that hold ink. You ink the entire surface of the plate to add ink, and then carefully wipe ink from the surface so that it only remains in those reservoirs. Pressure then draws the ink from these reservoirs. They will not work with letterpress process unless there is a relief structure.

Solarplate photopolymer plates can be used for either relief or intaglio printmaking. I assume this to be true of any photopolymer plate. It depends on whether you use a negative or positive of your image to create the plate. And, regular intaglio plates can be rolled up like relief. This is not a traditional method, but I’ve seen artists use this for coloring of the background.

You can print intaglio on a cylinder press, but it will not print successfully on a platen press. The intaglio process takes considerably more pressure and wet paper to work. The platen press simply cannot deliver the pressure needed to force the wet paper deep into all of the grooves on an intaglio plate.

I was surprised to see someone printing intaglio on a Vandercook, but they claimed they had amazing results.
http://www.bureauofbetterment.com/blog/drypoint-and-chine-colle-printmak...

Thank you, I tought my question was stupid but it’s not the case.

Bhastian, Film positive =intaglio, Film negative=relief
with photopolymer. “Solarplates” are photopolymer, Solarplates is an invented term and trademaked! Say for instance you buy a frozen pizza and cook it in the sun
you get “solarpizza” same kind idea. Gene Becker’s
site photpolymerplates.com has good info.best james

Careful when you say “Film positive =intaglio, Film negative=relief”. You can use whatever you want to make a plate, if you want to print an image in negative letterpress you can use a film positive to make the plate. If you are printing from the relief of the plate, it’s letterpress, if you are drawing ink out of reservoirs in the plate, it’s intaglio, no matter what kind of film you’ve used to make the plate.

Let’s confuse the people who ask more

Simple =people send me a File and it’s Postive -I make a polymerplate for intaglio, if it says negative, I make a plate for letterpress. That is for imagesetter Film.

There are a myriad ways how to make an image for a polymer based Intaglio plate - but that wasn’t also the question asked.

A Letterpressprinter and Printmaker

moderman, you lost me with “image in negative letterpress”? james

If on-press I want to print some text in negative, it’s often easier to just output a film positive, using that to create my photopolymer plate.

modeman, white type in a solid backround? In the print industry thats called a “reverse”.

TY for responding James and Modeman.

TY all of you !

Bhastian, I tell my students there is no such thing as a stupid question,unless you know the answer. I feel here
on this thread there are some real misinformed responses.
No. 1 Intaglio,printing has never been a relief process.
Intaglio can be gravure,mezzotint,drypoint,etching,
engraving and photopolmer can be printed intaglio using
a film postive to expose your plate. Most currencies are printed intaglio.No. 2 When you print a reverse in letterpress the film negative appears as a positive for the said reversed type, the film is still acting like a negative blocking light from nonimage and exposing light
where there is image. Photopolmer plates see light this way, film positive=intaglio, film negative=relief. best james

ty james.