Photopolymer Platemaking
Order your photopolymer plates and have them shipped to you
or
visit our studio to make plates in person.
Prices! in Canadian $$$
Per plate:
5x7" - $ 99
8x10" - $165
11x15" - $ 262
16x20" - $ 340
20x22" - $ 400
A3 - $85 per print
A2 - $120 per print
A1 - $200 per print
A0 - $375 per print
A3 - 11x15"
A2 - 15x22"
A1 - 22x30"
A0 - 32x48"
Paper size:
Per Proof:
We offer student discounts!
Options for making your photopolymer plate:
1. Order via email and have the plate shipped directly to you. Images must be:
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Edited to desired size. (Image maximum 20x22")
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In 720 dpi (360 dpi will also be okay)
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Do not flip it
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In TIFF format
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Saved 1:1 at print size
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In Adobe RGB 1998, or grayscale.
2. Join us in our studio and be present during the plate making.
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Gain a better knowledge of what photopolymer is.
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Print immediately after development.
Message us for more details & pricing.
3. While we won't print your plate for you, we would love to proof it. We will then ship both plate and proof to you. Message us for more details.
Photopolymer, most simply put, is the technique used to 'etch' a digital image, either a photograph or a scanned drawing, into a polymer plate.
Much like copper, the polymer plate is inked and printed onto paper. This technique is fantastic for artists who are more comfortable in drawing and photographic-based work.
This technique allows for accurate digital photographs and drawings to be developed into plates, yet still allows for the flexibility to develop layering through print.
Steps to making a photopolymer plate;
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Take a digital photograph and open it in photoshop or make a drawing, scan the drawing and open it in photoshop.
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In photoshop edit the photograph or drawing.
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adjust and crop the image
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adjust the highlights, lowlights, mid-tones etc (what you see on screen is pretty much what you get on the plate. This depends on how good your screen is. (Mac's usually have more accurate colour screens).
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add layers in photoshop.
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layers can be separated and made into individual plates and layered on top of each other in intaglio printing.
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Send us the digital files for plate making and we will ship them to you
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Print your photopolymer plates or have someone help print them for you.
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If you are not quite satisfied with the print, adjust your intaglio ink mix or edit the digital file and make another plate.
We can offer advice on how to print and clean your plates.
Some inspiration below;
Meet Marlene MacCallum, a very experienced and celebrated Canadian printmaker. Marlene worked with us in studio to produce a series of test photopolymer plates, to learn more about the process and to push some boundaries.
In these tests, Marlene took digital colour photographs, using photoshop, she developed them into CMYK channels. Those channels were layered to make two separate images. A CyanBlack layer and a MagentaYellow layer. Those two layers were then made into two photopolymer plates. The two plates were inked in different colours and printed on top of each other onto gampi 20gsm paper, producing a very soft, crisp and evocative image.
and some technical notes.... Photopolymer plates consist of thin, flexible metal sheets covered with a light-sensitive gelatin layer. In a digital procedure, images are directly printed onto the plate using UV-absorbing ink and subsequently exposed to UV light. Following a quick and non-toxic development process, you'll have a stunning and sharp image on your plate, ready for printing. Along with the non-toxicity and incredibly time efficient process, capable of going from image file to ready-to-print plate in less than an hour, there are a multitude of other benefits that come with photopolymer plates. While traditional photopolymer uses acetate transparencies in order to etch the image into the plate using UV light, direct-to-plate photopolymer eliminates this step. Without the use of acetate, images are much clearer and noticeabley more precise. This is due to the immense increase in dpi (dots per image). Traditional photopolymer has a dpi between 300-600, whereas direct-to-plate is able to achieve a 2880 dpi. These miniscule dots are virtually invisible when printed and allow for a beautiful and in-depth tonal range. The digital process in which we transfer images allow us to put virtually anything onto the plate! Photographs, text, drawings or paintings, can all be translated onto a photopolymer plate, allowing creativity to flow into new mediums. As well, due to the digitality of the process, plates can be easily replicated if necessary, when editioning. Although replication may be rare, because photopolymer plates are able to print hundreds of prints! Using an Epson printer, the image file is printed directly onto the plate with UV resistant ink, which takes the place of a traditional acetate transparency. Once the image is on the plate, it undergoes UV exposure to etch the image into the gelatin layer. After exposure, the plate is then developed with water, washing out the remaining gelatin layer surrounding the image. When the plate is fully washed out, a quick trip back into the UV exposure unit is key to complete the plate. Then voila! Your plate is ready for the smoothest printing, and easiest wiping yet.
Directly from the printer, photopolymer plates with UV resistant ink on them before development.
Contact us!
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
