We suggest purchasing one type of base for both presses, so that your presses will be able to share the same plate. It really comes down to your experience: if you’re a new printer, go with the Deep Relief base. Setting roller height can be a longer adjustment process on platen presses and this base will be more forgiving as you work through this. If you can use a roller gauge in your sleep, and you have experience expertly adjusting your inking rollers on your C&P, go with the Standard Base. The Standard Base’s plates are less expensive per square inch as they are slightly thinner but all plates, when paired with the correct base, equal type high (.918) and that is the most critical factor.
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How do I drain and refill my platemaker?
Drain the platemaker often, usually after every 10 to 12 processed plates. To drain, open the drain valve. The washout water is safe to go down the drain. To refill, close the drain and fill with water. Leave the tank full of water so the brushes don’t dry out. If you’re leaving the machine unused for an extended period of time, add half a cup of bleach to the water to resist algae. When you use the machine again, drain and refill the tank with fresh water.
How do I maintain the mounting rubber on my platemaker?
Magnetic mounting rubber and rigid mounting rubber come pre-sealed. Over time, this seal breaks down. You can make touch-up repairs with our green die sealer. Remove any old die sealer and apply green die sealer in a thin bead to the edge of the mounting rubber. Let dry overnight.
When do I replace my platemaker’s brushes?
A platemaker’s brushes wear out after prolonged use: these brushes should be replaced every 6-36 months. You can tell when a brush is tired out because the bristles are matted down. You can lengthen your brush life by keeping the brushes wet all the time and running your fingers through them to encourage the bristles to stand up. We sell replacement brushes for all of our platemakers: please e-mail or call us to order these.
When do I replace my kreene in my platemaker? And how do I replace kreene?
Kreene, a flexible and matte transparent plastic, is used in a platemaker’s vacuum frame to hold films securely 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 creates a smooth seal, it’s time for a kreene replacement! At Boxcar Press, we replace our kreene every few 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). If your platemaker has one, pull the round bar out the previous sheet of kreene. Affix 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 out over your vacuum table and start exposing your polymer plates. To increase the life of your Kreene, roll it out flat in your platemaker at the end of the day.
How do I know what plate type to choose?
This depends on the type of base you own. See the plate choices part of our web site for more information! In general, you will choose a plate with two things in mind, your base system (Boxcar or Magnetic) and your printing press. Our plastic backed plates correspond to a particular Boxcar Base and steel backed plates will correspond to either the Patmag or Bunting base.
If you are using one of the Do It Yourself home letterpress systems, we suggest the KF152 plastic backed plates.
If you are using an etching press, call us and we’ll suggest a plate, based upon a few questions about your setup.
As you are likely hand inking with these last two presses, please remember to ask us to SEND STRIPS in your platemaking order. They will be very helpful with your inking brayer for an easier inking.
How large can my file be while uploading?
The largest size, data-wise, that we accept is 26MB. If your file’s data size is larger than this, determine if it can be broken up into two or more files. If you actually have a large file in MB but not in inches, check to see if your images could be saved again in Photoshop with LZW compression and placed again into your document. This great compression feature will make your files more manageable.
For alternate electronic ways, we highly recommend compressing the file down with a program such as StuffIt or ZIP. There are also many numerous online free File Transfer Sites, such as YouSendIt.com or DropBox.com, that let you upload a file and send a link for Boxcar to download.
We will also always take your files on CD by mailing to: Platemaking Department; Boxcar Press; 509 W. Fayette St. #135; Syracuse, NY 13204.
Tell me more about the ink colors that you carry.
We offer all 14 base Pantone mixing inks. These inks, paired with the Pantone formula guide, will allow you to mix any of the guide’s hundreds of Pantone colors. The base inks are: Red (032); Pantone Black (mixing black); Blue (072); Green; Transparent White (mixing white); Orange (021); Process Blue; Purple; Reflex Blue; Rhodamine Red; Rubine Red; Violet; Warm Red; and Yellow. We also carry opaque white for printing white or printing on dark paper stock; universal printing black, the perfect black letterpress ink (available in oil-based or rubber-based only); and custom mixes that match any Pantone number. View a PDF of the Van Son color chart.
Once I’m done printing, how do I clean the letterpress ink off my rollers/plates?
To clean ink off your press, we recommend California Wash used with rags or disposable shop towels. This press wash cleans up acrylic, oil based and rubber based inks well, is a low VOC solvent, and has a mild somewhat citrus odor. For an occasional cleaning and deglazing of rollers, use Easy Street Additive after press wash.
Why shouldn’t I let oil-based letterpress ink dry on my rollers
Oil based inks will dry within a few hours if left unattended on press; dried oil-based inks can take a long time to clean and can even cause rollers to be permanently damaged.