Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • Jane Saunders
    Participant
    @janesaunders
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Hi, 

    I am trying to get a good embossed print on 600gsm cranes letters paper and have been told that I need to dampen the card prior to printing, but not sure how to do this .  Has any one done this with good results?..  Grateful for any tips on this.

    Jane


    Tiffany Smith
    Participant
    @tiffanysmith
    9 years, 11 months ago

    What kind of press are you using? What size is your printed area? You won’t get much of an impression depth if you’re printing a large area on a small press. Usually you’re limited to about 1/4-1/3 of your base size in order to get a decent print, especially if you want an impression. 

    I have only dampened Lettra in order to get better inking results (such as for a knock-out print with white text and an inked background). It has improved impression depth a little, but I find playing with my packing yields the best results in terms of impression depth.

    Let us know what you’re working with and we can troubleshoot from there!


    Jane Saunders
    Participant
    @janesaunders
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Hi

    We are using an Adana 8x 5 hand press, we get good print but want a deep print especially with solid coverage.  We are only printing business card size on cranes letters 600gsm card

    Jane


    Tiffany Smith
    Participant
    @tiffanysmith
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Thanks! That’s helpful. With a tabletop hand press, you won’t get as deep an impression as you could with a platen stand-alone press. I have never used an Adana, but I know the mechanism for closing the platen is different than my C&P Pilot. 

    I definitely think experimenting with packing (I think you want hard packing for a crisp, deep impression) is a good place to go now that you’ve already dampened some paper. It depends on the surface area of your business cards. I have switched from printing 2-up on my Pilot to 1-up and now get a much better impression. I have even done some nice knock-out text.

    However, the more inked area I’m printing, the less impression I can get because the pressure is spread out. Does that make sense?

    Here are some examples. It’s somewhat hard to see, but I do not have as much bite into the paper as perhaps is preferred by some people. My Pilot is an Old Style, however, and I’m not about to break it:
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/niftysmith/13168613545/in/photostream/

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/niftysmith/12972978954/

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/niftysmith/13808125113/

    I get the best impression when printing simple text:

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/niftysmith/12972977964/

    All of the above examples are on 600gsm Lettra, but I have never tried dampening the paper.’

    I’m guessing since the area of your Adana is a bit smaller than my Pilot, you’ll have even less wiggle room to get a good impression. I believe that with care, a deep bite is still possible, but you truly have to weigh the risk of damaging your press over making a nice print. 

    So, if dampening helps, go for it. If adjusting the packing helps, do both! 


    Jane Saunders
    Participant
    @janesaunders
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Thanks Tiffany

    Have adjusted packing seems to have made a difference

    Jane


    Lynn Allison Starun
    Participant
    @lynnallisonstarun
    9 years, 11 months ago

    Hi Jane,

    I like to dampen paper and do it the way I learned in a Japanese woodblock class.  I cut down a big sheet of chip board/binder board/davey board (thinner BB  works best and NOT the acid free which is reluctant to take up the water) into sizes larger than my printing papers.  Then I take the stack of binder board/davey board and dip each one briefly in a tray of water and stack them up.  Alternately you can spray them with water but that takes longer.  They are very absorbent and very quickly become evenly damp.  Then I stack the paper between the sheets of damp board and put a piece of plexi on top with a weight for maybe 10-15 minutes.  Then when I print I uncover the stack one layer at a time so it stays damp.  I feel like I always get a nicer print on dampened paper.   I can reuse the stack  of boards over and over.  They get warped but when damp relax flat.  I dry them after use on  those collator devices that secretaries used to use which fold up like an accordion. https://tinyurl.com/kx4tujs

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