Plate quality

The images and texts produced by prepress processing are transferred to the PS plate, and the plates used for printing are called plates.

Shaiban (offset printing plate production) plays an important role in the quality and stability of printed products. Therefore, strengthening the quality management of the printing process, and strengthening the implementation of standardized operations and quantitative control, is the basic condition for stably improving the quality of the printing plate and the printing rate, and further improving the overall level of quality of books and periodicals.

First, the requirements of the original density

According to the scope of the process, the original quality and density do not belong to the scope of the printing process control, but it is a very important factor that affects the quality of the printing plate and the printing rate. Therefore, the text version density is required to be more than 2.65 (film base density plus fog), and the dot density of the image plate is 3.65 or more (base density and fog), so that the requirement of the original plate density can be basically satisfied.

In the density measurement, if there is no micrometer, you can use the "line" test method to check the original text density. The specific method is: first make a black line with a width of 0.10mm on the transparent white film base (the production method is not limited). When checking, the line surface and the original film surface are stacked (line pieces are on the bottom) on the viewing platform. Observe with a 30x or 50x magnifier. If the following line can be seen through a single dot or a single stroke of the text, then the density of the page will not be met. In practical work, this method can play a good role in the control of the original density, and lay the foundation for improving the quality of the printing plate.

Second, the choice of light source

Stencil exposure has a huge impact on improving the quality of printing plates and the rate of printing.

The choice of printing plate light source should be based on the sensitive area of ​​the PS plate, between about 300nm-460nm. Since light of 300 nm wavelength is difficult to pass through the glass on the printing machine, light sources with wavelengths of 350 nm to 460 nm, such as iodine and xenon lamps, should be used. The iodine lamp emits a spectrum in the range of 350 nm to 460 nm with a peak of 417 nm, which is basically the same with the sensitive area of ​​the PS plate and is an ideal light source.

Some printing companies use printing plate light sources that do not belong to short-wavelength light, so the printing time is too long, which is not economical and affects the quality of graphic reproduction. Some companies use iodine lamps as the light source. However, due to the long use time, the lamps have been aged (light yellow) and are not suitable for printing. They should be replaced in time to ensure the stability of the light source's spectral characteristics.

Third, strictly control the exposure time

Whether the exposure amount of the printing plate is correct or not is an important link that affects the reproduction of the image and text version on the printing plate. In other words, the quality of the printing plate and the printing rate are based on the correct exposure. In practical applications, if the exposure is excessive, the 1%-3% fine dots on the image plate will be seriously damaged, and the 4%-5% dot will be affected; the small strokes on the text version (such as the 5th and 6th Song characters) The horizontal strokes, etc., will all be subject to varying degrees of loss, which may cause some words to be missed. Therefore, overexposure of the printing plate is one of the reasons causing the image to be outdated, bald, and lack of writing. Of course, lack of exposure during the printing will also have many quality problems, such as the dark and easy dark spots in the image version; the multiple word and bold characters in the text version are easy to be virtual and easy to rough.

Fourth, the developer concentration control

Due to different manufacturers, the composition of the photosensitive agent used in the PS version of each printing company is not the same, and the ratio and concentration of the developer (kit) are different. For example, the prescription ratio of the "Star" brand PS plate developing sleeve produced by the China Institute of Printing Science and Technology is: solid developer powder 7.50 g, warm water 5000C.C.; use liquid is: 1 part concentrate plus 6 parts of water. This rule is the best formula that the manufacturer prefers.

Individual printing companies have great arbitrariness in the preparation of the PS version of the developer. The application is not standardized enough, which seriously affects the quality of the printing plate and the stability of the printing rate. It can be appreciated from practical work that the concentration of the developer is too large and the alkalinity increases. When the exposed portion is decomposed, no part of the light is decomposed at the same time, so that the strength of the film surface is decreased, and the printing ink performance is also reduced. Will be reduced accordingly, causing serious film peeling (off plate). When this happens, it will affect the quality of the printed product, but it will cause waste. In addition, when the developing solution is too concentrated to dissolve the film layer in the blank area, it will also erode the part of the oxide layer, thereby reducing the printing rate of the printing plate, thus virtually increasing the cost of the printing process.

In practice, too low a developer concentration can also have an adverse effect. If the developing concentration is not enough, the blank film will not be completely dissolved, causing various stains on the plate. If the developing time is prolonged, it will produce the same effect as the developer is too thick.

The specific ratio of the PS version of the developer is the data obtained after many tests, which can guarantee the basic reproduction of the 1%-2% fine dot of the image version, complete 3%-4% dot network, and 98% of the Internet dot paste; small texts are not missing The pen breaks the path, the No. 6 character is clear, and the quality requirements such as black body and multiple strokes do not stick to death.

Fifth, control the development temperature and development time


The entire development process of the PS plate belongs to the process of redox reaction, naturally subject to liquid temperature and time constraints. If the temperature of the developer is too high, the speed at which the photosensitive layer is dissolved must be high and the time required will naturally be short. For example, when the liquid temperature exceeds 30° C., the binding force between the photosensitive material and the polymer resin is weakened, and the plate-resistance may be reduced, and the photosensitive film may be peeled off in severe cases. When the temperature of the developer is too low, the development time will inevitably increase, and the figures and texts will also be excessively eroded to reduce the printing durability of the printing plate.
There is still a considerable amount of manual development, and there is no control of the liquid temperature, which is one of the reasons for the low resistance of the printing plate. Therefore, companies should try to control the temperature of the developer within the range of 18°C-25°C according to their own conditions.

Enterprises developing with the developer tank should have measures to protect the developer from oxidation. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen the standard operation of the developer concentration, temperature, and development time. On the other hand, the developer should be capped on the developer tank (not covered when not in use). ), to prevent oxidation and evaporation and weaken the development.

Sixth, strengthen the layout of awareness

Simply put, the layout is the dirty layout of the positive-printed version of the PS version after the printing version and the eraser. It is the extra rules, corner lines, dirty points, scratches, glue strips, etc. on the layout. Waiting to get rid of the work.

The operation of the layout except for dirty is simple, but it must have a strong sense of quality, so that careful inspection, careful operation, to prevent the removal of dirty liquid to the drawings, text parts caused by the waste version.

The author found in the random inspections and examinations of books and products that there were often residual marks, corners, tape marks, imposition traces, and other stains in the layout, and even the fact that the drawings and texts were partially smeared, which seriously affected the situation. Improve the level of print quality of books and periodicals. Therefore, in the printing plate printing should strengthen the layout of the work to ensure that the layout of the clean, in order to improve the printing quality of books to create a good condition.


Source: China Art and Design Alliance

Posted on