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Started by Grimace, May 10, 2011, 10:02:07 AM

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Grimace

Well, we finally got a Platesetter from a shop that sold off its business.
Got the 4100 for about $15,000 so we jumped on it. Now I have to figure out how to get it up and running.
We are trying Fuji's Eccomaxx-T plates to start.


Anybody familiar with such a setup? I'm sure to have some questions!

DigiCorn

Same model we have. Was running Kodak when I started... now we're on [Agfa] Azura TS.


[edit]
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

Grimace

The shop we got the 4100 from was also running Azura.


What was the deciding factor for the switch?
And, do you and the pressmen like it okay?


I'm not really locked into a manufacturer at this point, but we have a good relationship with the Fuji sales guy and wanted to give him first shot.
Also, I'm really wanting to be able to use our existing plate processor to develop the plates. It has a gum unit after the wash. If anybody has tried this, I'd be interested what chems you used, our press solution is too weak at the prescribed for press use. We are thinking of trying a very strong solution to se if that work.

DigiCorn

Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMWhat was the deciding factor for the switch?
I/We have found Kodak plates to be horribly inconsistent, even thermal (but especially violet/poly). Sceening is just miserable. Plate wash would sometimes even remove image from the plate too. Azura plates were cheaper, consistent as can be and have a long run life. We made a deal with Pittman (now Agfa) to buy plates from them for two years, and they gave us the processor for free, with a 1-year service contract (which we never used).

Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMAnd, do you and the pressmen like it okay?
Both the pressman and I love Azura. They never had the consistency on rerun orders like they do now (but some of that may have been the previous prepress guy). Screening on a clean plate vs. a plate near the time the processor needs cleaning are pretty much identical. My dot reader has a + or - of 2 percent, and I am reading plates that vary by less than .5 percent. Kodak would be all over the place, but Agfa is steady.
Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMAlso, I'm really wanting to be able to use our existing plate processor to develop the plates. It has a gum unit after the wash. If anybody has tried this, I'd be interested what chems you used, our press solution is too weak at the prescribed for press use. We are thinking of trying a very strong solution to se if that work.
The Azura TS processor only has a gum solution. It's basically a chemistry free "processless" plate. The ph factor is neutral so any residue can safely be poured down a drain without a ProCam solution additive, and I don't think you even have to notify your local Hazmat of the Azura gum solution. Cleaning the processor (including rollers, scrub brushes, etc.) take 1 man about 2 hours or so give or take... and in between cleanings, just run rinse water and change the gum.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

G_Town

Quote from: DigiSig on May 10, 2011, 10:33:13 AM
Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMWhat was the deciding factor for the switch?
I/We have found Kodak plates to be horribly inconsistent, even thermal (but especially violet/poly). Sceening is just miserable. Plate wash would sometimes even remove image from the plate too. Azura plates were cheaper, consistent as can be and have a long run life. We made a deal with Pittman (now Agfa) to buy plates from them for two years, and they gave us the processor for free, with a 1-year service contract (which we never used).

Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMAnd, do you and the pressmen like it okay?
Both the pressman and I love Azura. They never had the consistency on rerun orders like they do now (but some of that may have been the previous prepress guy). Screening on a clean plate vs. a plate near the time the processor needs cleaning are pretty much identical. My dot reader has a + or - of 2 percent, and I am reading plates that vary by less than .5 percent. Kodak would be all over the place, but Agfa is steady.
Quote from: Grimace on May 10, 2011, 10:17:12 AMAlso, I'm really wanting to be able to use our existing plate processor to develop the plates. It has a gum unit after the wash. If anybody has tried this, I'd be interested what chems you used, our press solution is too weak at the prescribed for press use. We are thinking of trying a very strong solution to se if that work.
The Azura TS processor only has a gum solution. It's basically a chemistry free "processless" plate. The ph factor is neutral so any residue can safely be poured down a drain without a ProCam solution additive, and I don't think you even have to notify your local Hazmat of the Azura gum solution. Cleaning the processor (including rollers, scrub brushes, etc.) take 1 man about 2 hours or so give or take... and in between cleanings, just run rinse water and change the gum.

Going to have to disagree with you on the Kodaks, we run both thermal kodaks and agfa and we have issues with the agfas (plate wear, blinding, sharpening during make ready, Kodaks on the other hand don't seem to have those issues.

and a half percent range? Brother I want what you are smoking? Hell a freaking dot reader alone can have a variance of a percent depending how the patch is read etc..or how many times you read it.

Joe

Quote from: G_Town on May 10, 2011, 10:38:01 AMGoing to have to disagree with you on the Kodaks, we run both thermal kodaks and agfa and we have issues with the agfas (plate wear, blinding, sharpening during make ready, Kodaks on the other hand don't seem to have those issues.

and a half percent range? Brother I want what you are smoking? Hell a freaking dot reader alone can have a variance of a percent depending how the patch is read etc..or how many times you read it.

I have to agree with this and Kodak plates. There was a bad batch of Sword plates released into the wild but they cleared that up pretty quickly and even gave plate rebates over that fiasco. The Trillian plates are great though. Truth be told, any of the major plate suppliers all have good plates. They can't stay in business if they are selling junk.
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DigiCorn

I firmly believe a lot of it has to do with maintenance, and how well you keep your processor and optics clean.


As for the percentage difference, I usually read it three or four times and take an average. I made a screen pattern in 5% variances to run without any curves and not linear to get it to a linear starting point. I claan and re-read my test plate monthly. It stays right within range always.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

Farabomb

I was caught up in that batch of bad sword plates and their handling of it left a bad taste in my mouth. That being said if they made a plate that is a good fit for our shop I would give it a try.
Speed doesn't kill, rapidly becoming stationary is the problem

I'd rather have stories told than be telling stories of what I could have done.

Quote from: Ear on April 06, 2016, 11:54:16 AM
Quote from: Farabomb on April 06, 2016, 11:39:41 AMIt's more like grip, grip, grip, noise, then spin and 2 feet in and feel shame.
I once knew a plus-sized girl and this pretty much describes teh secks. :rotf:
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My other job

Grimace

Thanks for the quick replies, as always with this crew!


I just output our first plate for the Komori, and will be using it for a job later today.
Just one color-K so I have some grace on this.


A very worrying thing for me is that the Fuji plates barely have any contrast after developing, so to get a good read wasn't possible with out plate reader.
Our service tech is sending the plates to some company that writes the software for his reader, but in the mean time I don't have a calibrated plate!


We are just running one color stuff with no to little screening, so I can get away with it for now. Just to get this up and running.
Anybody had issues with getting the plate to read, oh, and I have a iCPlate II reader.

DigiCorn

We also run a Komori 26 and I read my plates with iCPlate II also. Wait a minute... Are you me?


What RIP do you use?
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

gnubler

Quote from: DigiSig on May 10, 2011, 11:19:48 AMWait a minute... Are you me?

It's all a part of my plan to make you think you know everything about me, only to find out later it's all a fake out.
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Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

Grimace

#11
Quote from: DigiSig on May 10, 2011, 11:19:48 AMWe also run a Komori 26 and I read my plates with iCPlate II also. Wait a minute... Are you me?


What RIP do you use?


Just got a RTI Harlequin 8.0


The machine came with Apogee's Raster Blaster Tiff Catcher.
And we also run a Komori 26....
spooky :sad:
Wait, I just saw your sig has the 6 color machine, ours is the Sprint 26-2 color.
I'm not you after all!

Ear

Quote from: G_Town on May 10, 2011, 10:38:01 AMand a half percent range? Brother I want what you are smoking? Hell a freaking dot reader alone can have a variance of a percent depending how the patch is read etc..or how many times you read it.

Hell, even the gum will add a half a percent. When we had our G7 fingerprint done, the tech would make me clean the gum off before reading and it was adding 0.6% to the reading off the Ultra-Dottie.
"... profile says he's a seven-foot tall ex-basketball pro, Hindu guru drag queen alien." ~Jet Black

Grimace

Okay, we're up and running.
I'm getting a line across the plate right where the page edge is in the file.
But there is nothing in the files to print. All files have done this, PDF or Illy, doesn't matter the source.
Any ideas what may be causing this? It is the tail end of the image, or the side furthest away from the punch.

Grimace

This is what I'm getting.
Hit or miss whether it shows up.