Kreene, a flexible and matte transparent plastic, is used in a platemaker’s vacuum frame to hold films against photopolymer plates during exposure. But over time, it’s the nature of kreene to get wrinkled and lose flexibility. When you find that your kreene no longer seals off the vacuum well, it’s time for a kreene replacement! At Boxcar Press, we replace our kreene every two days, but we process a lot of plates. With lower use, kreene can last for several months.

To replace your kreene: cut out a square of kreene to the size of the previous kreene piece (your kreene will be slightly larger than the grooves in the vacuum table). Pull the round bar off the previous sheet of kreene. Afix the new sheet of kreene to the bar with double-stick tape. Lay the kreene in position on the vacuum table and turn the vacuum on. Work out any wrinkles in the kreene so it remains flat. Using double-stick tape, affix the kreene edge opposite the bar to the vacuum table. You can then roll the kreene over the bar and start exposing your polymer plates.