What paper to put on platen for perforating
Hello,
I am trying to perfect my diecutting on my letterpress and mostly use it for perforating, i was taping down sheets of photo paper to the platen but the perforations dont seem to go all the way through the paper…Any ideas on what material i can use so that the perf rule will sink in a bit to the stock underneath creating an even through perforation?
Thanks in advance
they make a perforation backing, its a flat steel that gets taped on the tympan. For die cutting you need a steel jacket to protect your platen.
Thanks Dick G…I have a steel jacket to protect my platen but i need to put down some type of paperstock to the jacket for the perf rule to sink into…..if that makes sense
otherwise the perfs dont come all the way through the paper, only the front
While perforation can punch though a sheet, it tends to create problems with stock that will not lay flat.
An ideal perf will show best on the front and will have daylight visible through the perfs if the paper is folded at the perforation line. The ideal impression for perforating will leave a ghost image of the rule on the die-cutting jacket/plate.
If you are not able to get a decent perforation without using extra impression, it probably means that the perf rule you have is dull. There should be no need to back up the cut with paper, though sometimes a piece of clear packaging tape can help out if there is a piece of weak rule or a crossover that is bearing off the rule form.
you shouldn’t have paper on the die jacket, the paper should go under the jacket, like montanamike says there should be a faint image of the perf on the jacket. I do a lot of perfing on a die jacket.
are you doing a “spot makeready”?
As stated above, no sheet on platen should be used. A) a proper makeready will make it un-neccessary. B) its just something else to get torn up/off.
i use a paper bed and tape a steel rule above it with paper masking tape works perfect.