These are the unexposed polymer plates we stock.
What are polymer plates and how do they work for letterpress? Photopolymer is photosensitive material in sheet form that is exposed to UV lights through a negative film. The light shines through the clear sections of the film and hardens the polymer. The plate is washed out with water. The exposed areas are left to form the relief and the unexposed is washed away. The plate is dried and exposed to UV one more time to complete the process. The plate image and text will be in reverse so when mounted onto the base system in the press, it will be inked and print right-reading onto the paper. The polymer of a plate is connected either to a steel-backed plate (which then connects to a magnetic base) or to double-stick adhesive (which then connects to a non-magnetic base like the Boxcar Base).
| Name | Surface | Hardness | Relief | Thickness | Type |
| 94 CHFB ? PDF | smooth | 75 Shore D | 0.026” | 0.037” | plastic |
| KF 95 ? PDF | matte | 67 Shore D | 0.027” | 0.037” | plastic |
| KF 152 ? PDF | matte | 65 Shore D | 0.047” | 0.060” | plastic |
| Jet 94FL ? PDF | matte | 62 Shore D | 0.027” | 0.037” | plastic |
| Jet 94SB ? PDF | matte | 75 Shore D | 0.027” | 0.037” | steel |
| Jet 145HSB ? PDF | smooth | 85 Shore D | 0.044” | 0.057” | steel |
| Jet 152SB ? PDF | smooth | 80 Shore D | 0.05” | 0.060” | steel |
| 175 HSB ? PDF | smooth | 95 Shore D | 0.056” | 0.069” | steel |
| RREU Negative ? | matte | -- | -- | 0.004” | film |
Click on the photo to view plate options and to order.
We offer dedicated troubleshooting for our customers. Are you having trouble getting your letterpress plates to expose correctly or print right for that matter? We help our customers out, so give us a call or email and let’s troubleshoot together, friend!
Polymer plates for non-letterpress uses: while our troubleshooting only extends to using photopolymer plates for letterpress printing, there are hundreds of other uses for photopolymer. If you know the tech specs of the plate that you need, or if you can send us a sample of the polymer plate required for your application, we would be happy to try and recommend a plate that we have in stock that will work for you. We have innovative people using our plates for metal clay jewelry making, translucent porcelain, and leather work. We always like to hear what you want to try.