Question about inkjet offset plates?

[timgzan]

I have never used inkjet offset plates before and do have some questions about them. Everyone knows the quality of your inkjet prints on your inkjet printer depends on the paper you use. If you use regular paper your prints come out horrible but if you use epson photo paper your prints come out beautiful.

My question is on inkjet offset plates? When you print on these plates does the quality come out the exact same as it does on inkjet photo paper or is the quality less? And when the plates are inked up on the press and printing do they print every little spec of image that was printed on with the inkjet plate from the inkjet printer or can it miss some? Is it whatever little piece gets printed onto the plate makes it to the paper by press?

By the way I'm talking about printing in only black ink on the plate for 1 color print jobs. So I should be able to print a photograph in black and white on the plate and I would not have to screen it because the inkjet printer already prints in black dots. So will the black and white photograph print on the offset plate in the same quality that inkjet photo paper would have it print in? And would every spec of ink printed on the plate carry the ink onto the paper on press?

 

[ChrisZ]

Printing offset plates on inkjet have lpi limitation you can achieve. You have to screen this with proper software.
Also it is very slow process.
I tried that on Epson printer and ColorGate software.
Chris

 

[timgzan]

If you are just doing black and white I don't see why you would need to deal with LPI because inkjet already prints in dots so technically you should just be able to print on it. So now I wonder the above still? Does it print on the plate as good as photo paper?

 

[ChrisZ]

Yes, image is nice and crisp, but printing halftone images without proper rasterizing won't work as you expect.
Chris

 

[bill kahny]

If you are just doing black and white I don't see why you would need to deal with LPI because inkjet already prints in dots so technically you should just be able to print on it. So now I wonder the above still? Does it print on the plate as good as photo paper?

not something I do, but Buy a pack and let us know. especially what model inkjet you have and what plates you try.

We do laser plates without post baking them, all day everyday, for our small duplicators. I have several laser printers ready but typically use our MF canon in our office for convenience to the operators.