Platesetter vs press registration

printmonger

Active member
We have the ability to preview hi-res images after the Xitron rip and before the AGFA Galileo platesetter, in the Printdrive. Does anyone know if its possible to image plates out of register? If so, how can the misregistration be identified? If not, is it always a press/paper problem?

Yes...this is the age old prepress vs pressmen debacle!

Thanks,
Mark
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

I am afraid its back to basics - a set of plate pins and clear grid foil (or draw your self a grid -) and check every plate - mark each plate on the back that they are OK -

Peter
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

We just had a problem with our plate setter not imaging in register, up to 3/32 off, and what we're using as a quick visual to see if any of the plates are off is the Preps punch mark. Once the plate is punched the circle should be gone, if the image is off you'll see a little bit of the mark to the left or right of the punched hole. Of course this only works if your using Preps, I'm not sure about other imposition software.
Good luck!
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

Mark:

Your platesetter registers to the lower right hand
corner (as you are putting the plate into the punch).

First confirm that your plate punch is indeed locked-
down to register to that same corner. All too often
I used to hear of registration issues, then come to
find out, the old plate punch was auto-centering.

If there are slight trim differences box-to-box, the
plates might be fine centered, until mid job, a new
box is used. This could cause a mis-register.

This may not be the issue - but it's a good first step.

If you've measured/confirmed image mis-placement,
you might want to place a service call. It could be a
loose data cable, or a failing hard drive, or perhaps
the carriage rail needs cleaning. This gets far
beyond the abilities of a novice like me.

But again... check the simple/usual suspect...
the plate punch set-up.

Could this also be a "web growth" issue? Even on sheetfed presses, with some stocks, there is enough
of an issue that some people have purchased our web growth compensation feature for PrintDrive.

Good luck...

(if, after all else, it may indeed a press issue. We had
a device in a major press demo room, where, yes, one
press unit was out of alignment with the others.)

Regards,
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

Can not comment on the type of CTP unit you are using, but often some CTP units have test routines, which load /unload/reload the plateseveral times with special test jobs which show any misregistration as a visual error.
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

Make yourself a test page with a black cros-hair in each corner, and a mark in another corner that will intersect the black horizontal and vertical lines. Then manually image the black, catch the plate before it goes into the processor, and manually reload the same plate and image the other color. Allow it to process, and look at the marks on the plate. If they register OK, then the imagesetter is more than likely OK and it is a punch problem, press problem, etc. If they don't register it can be a Pin problem, a clamp problem, an air pressure problem, a roller problem, etc, etc.
 
Re: Platesetter vs press registration

Allow me to take the pro-prepress side of things and tell them to bugger off (oh wouldn't that be nice). I can't even begin to count how many times pressman have come in telling me they can't get a color to fit only to find out later they had a cylinder rolled back from a previous job, they were running really crappy stock, packing was wrong etc...or was having other issues with the press.

Unfortunately it's always been this way, 1.put it up doesn't fall in in the first 30 seconds 2.march into prepress exclaiming "plates don't fit" 3.go take yourself an unscheduled break at prepress expense.

Now if your lucky enough to have pressroom that is opened minded in the least have them move the "bad plate" to a different unit.

I've worked with 3 dtp machines and the only issues I have had with fit have been typically (as others have stated) punch related, plates cocked slightly when punched.
 

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