There are photopolymers and there are photopolymers.
Polymer silkscreen emulsion have substituted old dichromate based ones. Now
I have checked it with Murakami in Japan: they do not have any dichromates
and work on a molecular structure change principal, not a chemical
reaction. Chemists on the list, please explain !
There are two types of photopolymer plates for printing purposes. One type
is high contrast only and is processed with water (thickness from 2 to 7
mm, my apologes for the mistake, I wrote 0,2 mm to 7mm). That is used for
commercial printing on boxes and is very ruff. The one firm I have tried
is called NYLOFLAX and is produced by BASF in Germany. The other type is
used instead of tradisjonal gravure and is processed in chemicals (f.e.
Duponts riston film). That type gives gray scale. There are several firms
producing those in both Germany and France.
I have all the books on photopolymer gravure, that you have mentioned,
thank you. I have visited the site of Strange Rose on the web.
In addition I can mention, that there have been a lot of interesting
articles on the subject during the last couple of years in "Printmaking
today", a british magazine.
There were several events in Scandinavia recently showing artworks done
with those plates (type 2 only), last one in Denmark in november 1997. Some
works were very interesting. The first conference on the subject was on the
west coast of Norway in 1995. I have followed those, who work in the field.
What I have been experimenting with is different from all that. I just
hoped to find some others who have been doing the same and perhaps know a
little more then me.
I hope, I have made it all a little more clear.
Regards, Galina.