CostaRicaPrinter
Well-known member
I just wanted to share something that has helped us out with full color printing using silvermaster plates. Many think that these plates "stretch", but I don't think that "stretch" is the right concept. 8 mil silvermasters are pretty thick and hard, and it is a challenge to draw them perfectly tight when first positioning the plate due to the tough nature of the plate, as well as a sort of "sticky" backing, especially if any liquid is present. What usually happens is that after a hundred copies or so, the plate pulls down in "jerks" (hasn't anyone experienced the "sudden" un-register of the plate? That's because the sticky back sort of holds the plate until it is pulled down little by little in jerks).
To overcome these obstacles, we spray a cloth with silicone spray and wipe down the cylinder and "polish" it dry until it is nice and slippery. When we prepare the silvermaster plate, we make sure the back isn't wet. We've found that we can position the plate much better, and it draws down tight with no problem. We just finished several jobs on our AB Dick Century 3000, where we have to do two passes with different plates, and it went fine with our new technique! Maybe someone else has already discovered the silicone treatment; it works great.
Just thought our experience might be helpful to someone! Cheers,
Bill G.
To overcome these obstacles, we spray a cloth with silicone spray and wipe down the cylinder and "polish" it dry until it is nice and slippery. When we prepare the silvermaster plate, we make sure the back isn't wet. We've found that we can position the plate much better, and it draws down tight with no problem. We just finished several jobs on our AB Dick Century 3000, where we have to do two passes with different plates, and it went fine with our new technique! Maybe someone else has already discovered the silicone treatment; it works great.
Just thought our experience might be helpful to someone! Cheers,
Bill G.
