Printing Plates

What are printing plates?

Printing plates are thin and flat metal plates usually made of aluminum. They are used to print products such as business cards, catalogs and brochures.

How is the printing plate made?

1. After imposition, divide the artwork file of each parent page size into 4 separate files, the ink files of each color are: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. From there, each separate document is laser engraved onto its own board and then installed in the printing press.

2. These thin metal plates are sturdy and durable enough to be used for thousands of impressions, and they are also flexible enough to wrap the rotating cylinder inside the printing press.
3. Don't be confused by the color: the coating on the printing plates is blue, but this has nothing to do with the color of the ink that the printing plate will use. Laser technology etches the design onto the printing plates, and the blue part indicates where the ink should drop when the roller is in contact with the paper.

In summary, in the past, many printers used photographic processing to make printing plates, but today, most modern printing houses use mainframe computer-to-plate (CTP) machines. Insert the coated thermal board into the CTP image setter, and use a laser to output the image by heating the area of the thermal board to different degrees, depending on how much ink collection each area should consume. The printing plates are rolled out of the laser compartment and passed through a special cleaning solution that will rinse off the heated part of the coating, leaving a negative image.

Do I need to provide my own printing plate for printing?

The burden of producing printing plates falls on the printer. Customers only need to submit their digital files after ensuring that all requirements (such as image resolution and correct deflation settings) are met.