What Price Plates?

Taking a pragmatic, analytical look at the printer's or trade shop's current production success rate might also yield long-term benefits. "The best way to ensure plate processing is optimized is to add control and standards to your process to avoid making bad plates," insists Bob Dalton, flexography product manager at Creo. Dalton counts the need to remake plates as a very significant strike against a platemaking department's time and cost economy. He adds, "Standards that should be in place include press characterization, plate control targets, regular maintenance of UV exposure bulbs, and processor chemistry."