Re: polymer plate drying time
This is best piece of info I think I've gotten since starting the use
the KM73s. Thank you so much for pointing this out Keith.
Do you suppose drying the plate after post-exposure would have the same
effect? I'm thinking about plates I've already got but haven't printed
yet..
I'm probably overdoing the post-exposure. 5-10 minutes was generally
recommended for Solarplate -- which is why I was doing that. I was
post-exposing for 20 minutes in the hopes of eliminating those
scratches. It didn't though. I can't see doing a post-exposure for the
the time of my screen/image plus some like you do though Keith. That
would only be less than 30 seconds for me! I think once the plate
becomes the nice blue-green hue as opposed to the light green it's
probably good to go though, don't you?
The new Toyobo plate sounds like something I should certainly try as
well...especially with the finer dot screen I use.
Between the new plates, the new 4800 printer I'm considering, and the
subsequent ability to start using rolls of new Pictorico Ultra film
there's a ton of changes and improvements in store for my process this year.
This list rocks!!! Thank you all for being there.
Jon
Keith Taylor wrote:
On Mar 15, 2007, at 11:50 AM, SusanV wrote:
Keith...
you said, "Toyobo even recommend 5-15 minutes at 122-140 degrees
Susan,
I have a sheet from Toyobo that came packed with the plates ages ago.
I tried to find it on both Anderson and Vreeland and Toyobo's
websites, but the AV link was bad.
I did notice however that Toyobo have a "new" plate out designated
Printight DF. It's apparently capable of resolving 200lpi
(KM73=150lpi) and detail in the 1-95% range (KM73=3-95%). The Shore D
hardness is 55 whereas the KM73s are 67, which means the DF slightly
softer.
On Mar 15, 2007, at 1:24 PM, Jon Lybrook wrote:
Wow. This is really good info Keith. Maybe this is why I have issue
with scratches, eh? Didn't you say scratches weren't a huge problem
for you at one point?
So you dry before post exposing? When post-exposing for 5-10 minutes
under my Olec unit, it actually gets quite hot...so maybe that's why
I haven't had more major issues. Perhaps the post-exposure also
functions as what you and Susan are calling 'dry time'. What do you
think? Should I bake my plates in the oven after processing before
post-exposure?
Jon,
I'd certainly dry it longer, even if it's just with a hairdryer and
no, I've never had a problem with scratches. I can (and usually do)
wipe quite hard with tarlatans. I have a 5KW lamp that also gets
quite hot but noticed recently that you post expose way longer than I
do - this is probably why!
My workflow is to expose the plate, dry with newsprint immediately,
then dry for 2-3mins with a hairdryer. Next, I dry it for a further
5-10mins in a drying cabinet on high heat. The post-exposure is
normally a little longer than my combined screen+image exposures.
Of all the problems I've had, scratches have never been one of them.
So I think you'd only benefit from drying a little longer.
Keith.