For advertising specialty pad printers, the days of tediously making dozens of cliché plates for short-run projects are over. Wave goodbye to the manual process of creating an artwork film, exposing a polymer plate, washing it out with chemicals, and then baking the finished plate before pad printing. That was then, but now there is direct-to-plate laser etching. If you haven’t already seen a demo or taken the plunge yourself, here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the technology.

 

The old standard process was to start with an image and then output the file to an imagesetter to create a film positive. This film was then placed in an exposure unit with light-sensitive material to photo-etch the surface. The exposed material was then washed out with either chemicals or water to reveal the image etched into the plate. To increase its hardness and durability, the plate was then baked for a specific time in an oven to finish the process. This took somewhere between fifteen to twenty minutes. Now multiply that times several or even dozens of plates per day and the labor hours really add up.

 

But with direct-to-plate laser etching, the film is gone, the exposure unit is gone, the chemicals, washout, oven and bake-time are also gone. Gone too are the variables of dust, human error, and environmental conditions. What has changed is all the middle steps of the platemaking process have been removed, saving you time and money and improving your image consistency.

 

Electronic files of artwork are prepared the same as with the old process. Whether you use a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or CorelDraw, the file may be saved as a vector (.eps) or bitmap (.bmp) or even a document (pdf). For those who prefer to use Autocad, the standard CAD drawing (.dxf) format will work too. The goal is to produce a black-and-white image, so any colors will need to be converted to black prior to sending the file. Using the device’s proprietary software, the operator imports the file, applies the desired parameters, and then sends it to the laser. The laser plate maker takes the place of the imagesetter as the output device. The difference is the resulting output, the finished plate, is ready to be installed into a pad printer and the operator can immediately start printing.

Without getting too technical about how lasers work, both CO2 lasers and YAG lasers generate a very concentrated beam of light, but from there the lasers become very different in their applications. YAG lasers and CO2 lasers react very differently on different materials because of the differing wavelengths of the beams. The wavelength of a YAG makes it ideally suited for absorption in most metals, but this small wavelength inhibits its ability to be absorbed by many other materials such as wood, acrylic, plastics, fabrics, etc. A CO2 laser beam is not easily absorbed by metal, but can easily be absorbed by many organic materials (wood, acrylic, rubber, etc.), while it tends to reflect off of most metal surfaces. However if the metal is coated with paint or a thin layer of certain plastics, it is ideal for making pad printing cliché plates. The bottom line is: YAG lasers are higher resolution and slower, also more expensive; CO2 lasers are lower res and, depending on the model, somewhat faster– and more economical.

There is a wide range of plate manufacturers and materials available for making pad printing clichés but not all are equal. Some polymer-coated plates have an aluminum metal base while others are made with thin steel under the plastic. Still others use proprietary coatings over the metals. The laser etches each plate type by removing the layer or coating in the areas where the image appears. But the resolution of the finished etch is dependent on the laser and the matching plate material. The same laser unit can produce inconsistent results of varying quality using plate materials from different sources. The key is keeping the process in conformity with the manufacturers’ specifications.

You’ll need a computer and monitor with the necessary software for opening or creating artwork files. Some laser manufacturers include this in a package deal or offer it as an option along with their included print drivers for upload to your computer. You will also need some sort of fume extractor or venting system capable of at lease 150 cubic feet per minute. This will get rid of the microscopic dust particles and gases that are released as the laser vaporizes the plate material. Most manufacturers will also offer this accessory or recommend approved sources.

 

Last but not least: the most important consideration is to have skilled personnel who are properly trained in creating electronic artwork for pad printing. These specialists will be the key contacts for both customers and production staff to work with to create laser plates that print properly. The technology is only as good at its operator’s skill level and his or her understanding of the entire process. Remember: there is no substitute for a competent and creative production artist who understands pad printing and can solve technical challenges as they occur.

For advertising specialty pad printers, the days of tediously making dozens of cliché plates for short-run projects are over. Wave goodbye to the manual process of creating an artwork film, exposing a polymer plate, washing it out with chemicals, and then baking the finished plate before pad printing. That was then, but now there is direct-to-plate laser etching. If you haven’t already seen a demo or taken the plunge yourself, here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the technology.

 

The old standard process was to start with an image and then output the file to an imagesetter to create a film positive. This film was then placed in an exposure unit with light-sensitive material to photo-etch the surface. The exposed material was then washed out with either chemicals or water to reveal the image etched into the plate. To increase its hardness and durability, the plate was then baked for a specific time in an oven to finish the process. This took somewhere between fifteen to twenty minutes. Now multiply that times several or even dozens of plates per day and the labor hours really add up.

 

But with direct-to-plate laser etching, the film is gone, the exposure unit is gone, the chemicals, washout, oven and bake-time are also gone. Gone too are the variables of dust, human error, and environmental conditions. What has changed is all the middle steps of the platemaking process have been removed, saving you time and money and improving your image consistency.

 

Electronic files of artwork are prepared the same as with the old process. Whether you use a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or CorelDraw, the file may be saved as a vector (.eps) or bitmap (.bmp) or even a document (pdf). For those who prefer to use Autocad, the standard CAD drawing (.dxf) format will work too. The goal is to produce a black-and-white image, so any colors will need to be converted to black prior to sending the file. Using the device’s proprietary software, the operator imports the file, applies the desired parameters, and then sends it to the laser. The laser plate maker takes the place of the imagesetter as the output device. The difference is the resulting output, the finished plate, is ready to be installed into a pad printer and the operator can immediately start printing.

Without getting too technical about how lasers work, both CO2 lasers and YAG lasers generate a very concentrated beam of light, but from there the lasers become very different in their applications. YAG lasers and CO2 lasers react very differently on different materials because of the differing wavelengths of the beams. The wavelength of a YAG makes it ideally suited for absorption in most metals, but this small wavelength inhibits its ability to be absorbed by many other materials such as wood, acrylic, plastics, fabrics, etc. A CO2 laser beam is not easily absorbed by metal, but can easily be absorbed by many organic materials (wood, acrylic, rubber, etc.), while it tends to reflect off of most metal surfaces. However if the metal is coated with paint or a thin layer of certain plastics, it is ideal for making pad printing cliché plates. The bottom line is: YAG lasers are higher resolution and slower, also more expensive; CO2 lasers are lower res and, depending on the model, somewhat faster– and more economical.

There is a wide range of plate manufacturers and materials available for making pad printing clichés but not all are equal. Some polymer-coated plates have an aluminum metal base while others are made with thin steel under the plastic. Still others use proprietary coatings over the metals. The laser etches each plate type by removing the layer or coating in the areas where the image appears. But the resolution of the finished etch is dependent on the laser and the matching plate material. The same laser unit can produce inconsistent results of varying quality using plate materials from different sources. The key is keeping the process in conformity with the manufacturers’ specifications.

You’ll need a computer and monitor with the necessary software for opening or creating artwork files. Some laser manufacturers include this in a package deal or offer it as an option along with their included print drivers for upload to your computer. You will also need some sort of fume extractor or venting system capable of at lease 150 cubic feet per minute. This will get rid of the microscopic dust particles and gases that are released as the laser vaporizes the plate material. Most manufacturers will also offer this accessory or recommend approved sources.

 

Last but not least: the most important consideration is to have skilled personnel who are properly trained in creating electronic artwork for pad printing. These specialists will be the key contacts for both customers and production staff to work with to create laser plates that print properly. The technology is only as good at its operator’s skill level and his or her understanding of the entire process. Remember: there is no substitute for a competent and creative production artist who understands pad printing and can solve technical challenges as they occur.