need a polymer plate maker in Abu Dhabi

Nancy -

First of all, finding a local source might not be too difficult. The technology is used world-wide these days, and there could well be someone already making photo-polymer plates near her… They might just not advertise - or offer it as a service to the public. It might be good to speak to some local printers…

A local printing supplies salesman could tell you who’s buying the plate material in your area.

But another option would be to make the plates herself.

Making your own photo-polymer plates is quite easy. The only challenge is getting a negative with which to expose the plate material. Washout is done with warm water and a soft brush. We used to do it all of the time back in the 80’s when the plate material became available…

Any offset platemaker - or even a sheet of glass and a floodlight can be used to expose the plate material.

I’ve even heard of it being done using sunlight… Only problem there is that the sun moves a bit during exposure, so fine lines could be a challenge…

But, once the plate is exposed, it’s just a matter of washing away the unexposed surface and voila! A printing plate.

But, as I said, the real challenge is getting a negative of the artwork. Some ink jets and laser printers can be used to print in reverse on mylar, but getting a dense, opaque black can be a challenge.

She could also go to any silk screen print to have them made - the process is nearly identical to that used to expose and wash out a silk screen. Again, the challenge will be to get a good, dense negative to expose the plate material through.

Of course BoxCar could probably mail plates to her, but the cost of int’l postage might make that prohibitive. Still, a call to Boxcar Press might help you find a workable solution…

Best of luck.

- Old Printer Al