Distorting or Warping files for printing on plastic

[David]

Got a problem and was wondering if any of you guys had any insight.
Got a job that runs on plastic (no trees were killed in the making of this magazine, cause we ARE a green printer!).

The problem lies in the fact that the plastic actually changes sizes as it goes through the press.
The magenta is too wide at the tail and too narrow at the gripper, as is the cyan and the yellow, but they are all different sizes.
This means we have to come up with some way of distorting the files with scaling.
This can be a problem in itself, like how to scale the tail different than the gripper?

We split our impose files in half (tail and gripper) and send them over with a scale and then double burn them together to get one plate.
This isn't working too well, we really need to warp the file, like stretch the tail pages wider and squeeze the gripper pages to make them narrower.

We need to be able to affect the vertical distance as well as the horizontal distance and shape.

Any you guys print on plastic and have any experience with this type of problem?



thanks in advance,
David


PS. sorry for the long winded description, if I made it unclear, please ask and I'll try to explain it better.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

What kind of plastic is it, and are you printing cards? What is the press-sheet size? Do you have a feature on your RIP to Export the entire press-sheet after imposition and colorbars are generated?

[Joe]

I know the latest Apogee X web growth compensation can do this as you can specify differing scale factors at different points in the image in both the vertical and horizontal direction. They are the only RIP vendor I've see with this built in, not that there might not be others. I just haven't heard if them if there are. Maybe someone with Apogee X can help you out if they have the web growth module but it is an extra option and does not come standard on Apogee X.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Have Apogee X, but not that. IF Dave can get the Imposed Press-sheet as a PDF, he could distort it, the way he wants in InDesign. Then rePDF it as a whole sheet.

[David]

Stock:  10 mil Bio Proprint 25" x 38" transil

24 page magazine

We got your export...

no, really, this is where the rub is.
We can export the impose file to a PDF file, open this in my BackStage Edit (Esko) do some magic scaling and in general mash the file, but what I am looking for is something to be more in the ability to send the file with some sort of warping.
I was thinking that there would be something that a flexo printer might use for packaging because they print on some weird stuff and have to be able to control the distortion.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I do know that Quark has built in distortion, but not a warp, it is either Horizontal or Vertical distortion, which could be done in InDesign or AI. I would imagine there is software to do it, but it is gonna be EXPENSIVE! That is not an easy trick. You might have to rasterize the press-sheet and do it in PS, but I would try to think of something else first. Hmmmmm....

[David]

yeah...
expensive ain't the word...

Heidelberg has a deal if you want to spend 78,000 dollars. (that is US money btw, not euros)

man, I gotta get two cause it's cool!

[David]

we're probably gonna be doing some weird ass work-a-round, which just thinking about it makes my head hurt...

still looking for options,

thanks Joe, I'll get my Technology Director to check out the Apogee X web growth compensation thingie to see if that holds any promise.

(yes, I actually have one of these guys, and that is what he does, believe it or not.)

[gnubler]

Wow, just reading this thread throws me back to the many times I developed "prepress rage" or "printing rage". I'm squirming in my seat and you have my sympathies. Curious how this will work out.

[Joe]

we're probably gonna be doing some weird ass work-a-round, which just thinking about it makes my head hurt...

still looking for options,

thanks Joe, I'll get my Technology Director to check out the Apogee X web growth compensation thingie to see if that holds any promise.

(yes, I actually have one of these guys, and that is what he does, believe it or not.)

After he checks it out you'll think $78,000 is bargain basement territory. :shocked:

[David]

yeah, they were fixing to write that check...
then had second thoughts.


 :laugh:

[beermonster]

david

have a look at this mate - it might help and hopefully be cheeper!

http://www.esko.com/web/site.aspx?p=2159

[beermonster]

it may however mean an artpro seat - forgot to mention that :embarrassed:

[David]

thanks beer,
I'll check it out.
It may not be too bad, seeing as my Tech director is close friends with the Esko engineers in Belgium.

[Vee]

I have a vendor who runs a Nexus set up and applies distortion some how. For labels printed Flexo & Letter Press.
He asks for separated PDFs, applies distortion, and bang! Although, come to think of it - he says it's to avoid Moire, not fit registration.... I could get some more details if you'd like.

Vee