Making plates on Xante Enpress/Platemaker 8 - not holding the images

[selkirkpress]

We have had the Xante Enpress for about 1 1/2 years. We bought it to print envelopes and make plates. It prints envelopes magically - but we still have been unsuccessful making plates. We currently use a Kimosetter 410, but we know that will soon be another extinct dinosaur.
The Xante makes the plates ok - looks good. But on the press the images break down in under a 100 sheets. We got the recommended ABDick pink fountain solution and tried many different amounts. We are using the Xante Myriad plates. Please let us know if you are successfully using the Xante platemaker and how do you make plates, what fountain solution etc? All advice and help would be appreciated!!
Thank you and Happy Weekend!

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

What type of presses are you running?

 

[selkirkpress]

What type of presses are you running?

Printmaster, Quickmaster and an old Toko for printing envelopes

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

I know you've already sunk your money into that machine, but we've had really good luck with a Speedsetter 300E that was refurbished by Erick from Pressman's Pride. I think we got the entire unit shipped to us for less than $8500 after taxes, freight etc. Got it back in 2018.

It produces a Silvermaster plate that lasts about 9,000 - 13,000 impressions consistently and the quality is basically out of this world. If you need troubleshooting, he will gladly provide support for you over the phone. He also sells the plate material for a great price.

Coming from using both a Platemaker 4 and Platemaker 5 (and an Eskofot 1740 before that), this machine is literally the best investment we have made in our offset department in the last 15 years. Our pressman hated the polyester plates with a passion. The screens and clarity you get from these plates is just stunning.

The plate is really the last thing you should have to worry about. Hope that helps.

 

[gregbatch]

Are you using a separate fuser for the plates?

 

[selkirkpress]

Are you using a separate fuser for the plates?

No. they just run through the Xante

 

[WeberPrinting]

We have had the Xante Enpress for about 1 1/2 years. We bought it to print envelopes and make plates. It prints envelopes magically - but we still have been unsuccessful making plates. We currently use a Kimosetter 410, but we know that will soon be another extinct dinosaur.
The Xante makes the plates ok - looks good. But on the press the images break down in under a 100 sheets. We got the recommended ABDick pink fountain solution and tried many different amounts. We are using the Xante Myriad plates. Please let us know if you are successfully using the Xante platemaker and how do you make plates, what fountain solution etc? All advice and help would be appreciated!!
Thank you and Happy Weekend!

You have to select XANTE PLATE as the material so it fuses properly. I have had great results with the Xante Enpress and Myriad 2 Plates. If you want another option stick with that plate and buy an old HP LaserJet 5000. Configure the fuser to Rough, that also makes a great plate. Have done runs up to 18,000 with a single plate.

 

[selkirkpress]

You have to select XANTE PLATE as the material so it fuses properly. I have had great results with the Xante Enpress and Myriad 2 Plates. If you want another option stick with that plate and buy an old HP LaserJet 5000. Configure the fuser to Rough, that also makes a great plate. Have done runs up to 18,000 with a single plate.

what press are you running these on and what fountain mix are you using? after many attempts to use this machine we have given up on using it to make plates. I have even had xante techs tell me that they have a lot of people that are having issues trying to run the plates that come off this machine. any info on how you guys are running them would be great.

 

[WeberPrinting]

what press are you running these on and what fountain mix are you using? after many attempts to use this machine we have given up on using it to make plates. I have even had xante techs tell me that they have a lot of people that are having issues trying to run the plates that come off this machine. any info on how you guys are running them would be great.

Fountain solution for Myriad 2 plates I used and it worked flawlessly: VARN UNIVERSAL PINK FOUNTAIN SOLUTION #3004GB - I ordered it from Valley Litho Supply. I ran theses plates on Davidson 500/701/601 and multi 1250s. Never had a plate break up or fail.

 

[gregbatch]

I would be sure you have a fuser set aside exclusively for plates. You cannot use the same fuser for envelopes and plates. Just won't work. Also, check your roller to plate pressure on the presses. Metal and silver plates are very forgiving on pressure. These are not. You want the minimum acceptable bead. And much like the old electrostatic plates, blanket wash can damage the image, so be sure the blanket is completely dry before plate contact.

 

[Patrick Vernae]

Fountain solution for Myriad 2 plates I used and it worked flawlessly: VARN UNIVERSAL PINK FOUNTAIN SOLUTION #3004GB - I ordered it from Valley Litho Supply. I ran theses plates on Davidson 500/701/601 and multi 1250s. Never had a plate break up or fail.

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm just starting to learn how to run a Davidson 500 offset printing press. We have been creating metal plates the traditional route using a light exposure and developer solution. I'd like to use the Xante instead to create future plates. Would those Myriad 2 plates and the fountain solution you mentioned work with oil based non toxic inks? I'm just concerned about whether or not the ink would adhere to the Myriad plates as effectively as the metal plates.

 

[WeberPrinting]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm just starting to learn how to run a Davidson 500 offset printing press. We have been creating metal plates the traditional route using a light exposure and developer solution. I'd like to use the Xante instead to create future plates. Would those Myriad 2 plates and the fountain solution you mentioned work with oil based non toxic inks? I'm just concerned about whether or not the ink would adhere to the Myriad plates as effectively as the metal plates.

I ran with Van Son Rubber Base and Van Son CML-Oil Base inks both ran without an issue. After running 100 small jobs and you are accustomed to them, they run just like a metal plate in terms of quality. I made a template in InDesign for the actual plate size which is the 10" x 15" (length can vary depending on what plate cylinder is on your press. I then "placed" the PDF or Indesign layout with the correct margin specs to locate the image with great control onto the plate. I printed all my plates on the 12x19.375" plate material and used a trimmer to cut the plate to the proper outer dimension which I printed onto the plate from the templates I made. The attached JPG sample has black borders for trimming the printed plate to final size from the plate material.