VLF paper plates

[Chris Halt]

Is there such a thing?

Can anyone recommend an alternative to aluminum plates for VLF offset?

We currently run Kodak Sword.

We are looking for an inexpensive, VERY short run, 73" plate.

Beggars can't be choosers so we won't put reproduction quality high on the requirements.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Kevin@digiflex]

Hi Chris - even I'm not aware of anything that large on a substrate other than aluminum, sorry! You'd never have the tensile strength to survive the printing process at that size, and you'd have huge issues with registration/stretch/etc.

If you do find something that works and is more cost-effective, let me know! We've been looking for years, but even polyester doesn't scale well that large (and has much poorer ink/water balance properties to boot).

Also - don't forget that although Aluminum is a large part of the cost of a plate (especially large plates in high volume), you get a significant portion of that value back in your scrap recycling. All else being equal, you're actually not going to save a lot of money with other substrates once you net out the scrap value. If you're getting less than 80% of the LME value back on your scrap, talk to your Kodak sales rep or dealer and we can put you in touch with our scrap partner for a better deal (we don't take any cut from that, but have negotiated a better group rate for our customers).

Kevin.

[VladCanada]

<<Beggars can't be choosers so we won't put reproduction quality high on the requirements.>>
Carve on the granite wall with 10 feet letters!!!

[Kevin@digiflex]

<<Beggars can't be choosers so we won't put reproduction quality high on the requirements.>>
Carve on the granite wall with 10 feet letters!!!

Well, to go to the extreme, there are still printers in 3rd-world countries that take used plates, remove all the ink and coating, and re-coat the plates by hand with an analog/UV resin (spin coating). If quality isn't a concern and labor costs (and health regulations!) are lax, it can work... not that I'd recommend it!

Kevin.