pearl 11 inking issue

cottagesmall
on 28 Sep 18 (00:08)

hello everyone, we’re having an issue when printing coasters. the ink is excessively speckled or peppered (not sure what the technical term is). here is a pic: http://imgur.com/3ATrwdM

we’ve searched the forums and tried numerous things to no avail. using different ink, over inking, under inking, thickening ink, loosening ink, double striking, skip printing, raising and lowering roller height, repositioning the plate, using different weight coasters, heavy-ish impression, no impression.

we did a run of a few hundred of these a few months ago and while there was a little peppering, it wasn’t nearly this bad.
it seems to print like normal on our kraft paper coffee bags, if that matters. i guess it could just be the coasters themselves? we’re at a loss here, and any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

jhenry
on 28 Sep 18 (11:38)

Try a light mist of clean water a few minutes before printing (spray bottle will work). It looks like the texture of the stock is keeping the ink from transferring completely. The little bit of moisture can soften the fibers to allow greater depth with the same impression strength.

John Henry
Cedar Creek Press

cottagesmall
on 28 Sep 18 (11:55)

i forgot to mention we did try misting with water, but only waited a few seconds before printing, resulting in a mess. i will try spraying a few and waiting longer. thank you

Stephen O. Saxe
on 30 Sep 18 (14:43)

When printing on dampened paper, I’d suggest dampening one item in about 5, keeping them neatly stacked and weighted (to prevent cockling) and placed inside a plastic storage box or trash bag overnight. That gives the moisture in the dampened item several hours to permeate the other sheets. This softens the fibres and really helps to get a good impression on a rough or otherwise difficult surfaces.
-Steve

jhenry
on 30 Sep 18 (19:01)

Steve:
Normally I would agree with you, but since the poster is printing on coaster stock (designed to be absorbent) I think you may have to lightly spray each sheet to get the proper amount of dampness.
John Henry

cottagesmall
on 30 Sep 18 (23:52)

so here’s what i ended up doing: spray misted about 20 coasters at a time, let them sit for about 3 minutes, stacked them for a couple of more minutes, then printed. it was very slow going, but only a run of 200. it worked out pretty well, with some looking better than others.

here’s how they turned out: http://imgur.com/rsySXOd

thanks for your help!

wacopsc
on 14 Oct 18 (22:42)

You definitely want to dampen them and leave them overnight in a sealed plastic bag.
They should not have glistening surfaces before printing
only evenly damp.
Your not giving the moisture time to soften the fibers and the sizing…..moist regards, Paul