Polyester Plate Printing

This is a simple way of making lithographs using polyester plates without the chemistry and without the health risks of toxic printmaking. Plates can be made from hand-drawn images, Xerox images, scanned images and brushed toner. Aside from fixing the images with heat, printing can be immediate. The process is cheap and easy especially with "Pronto Plates" a copyrighted name of polyester plates.

The plate itself contains many tiny depressions that can be partially or fully filled with whatever waterproof medium you are using. The value-range is determined by how full is each depression- dark values and black filled up to the surface of the plate, light values contrary-wise. Care must be taken that building above the surface be avoided as this material is likely to chip and fall off during printing.

When working directly on the plate with a black Bic pen, Sharpie, Magic Marker or other waterproof drawing element, press firmly in order to fill the tiny depressions. I found that some practice is needed as the plate does not have the same resistance as does paper.

You have four options and various combinations of these four in making your print.

1) Drawing directly on the plate with waterproof media, (i. e.) black Bic pen, Sharpie, Magic Marker,etc. You may then go ahead with the printing.

2) Zeroxing your image on the plate. Make sure the image is LIGHT as too black an image will peel at printing. At the Xerox store have one or two proofs made, making sure of a light image before processing the Pronto Plate. Check and see if the image is fast on the plate with a damp q-tip. If not "fix" in oven

3) Scan and print image through your PC. Check fastness of image as above as well as its LIGHTNESS.

4) Drawing with a LIGHT toner wash. Check the "fix" as above.

You will need the family oven or a make-shift one over a hot-plate in order to fix the image as in 2,3,or 4 above, a cookie sheet or other piece of flat metal the same size or larger than your Pronto Plate , a thermometer and a watch. Temperature steady at 210 degrees F. Begin timing at two minutes in oven and increase slightly as necessary. Test with a moist q-tip. You must go full time with each try as the effect is not cumulative.

UNIVERSAL FOUNTAIN SOLUTION- Use full strength to clean each plate before use, rinse with water and dry. Do NOT use Fountain solution in the water used in the roll-up if you have used mostly Bic lines- it will pull them up. In 2, 3, and 4 a cap full or two in your bowl of roll-up (dampening water) won't hurt. I have found the over use of fountain solution not desirable.

Fountain Solution is devised to reduce the acidity of tap water and it can also be used full strength to clean-up finger prints and other marks that have strayed onto the plate.

LEAVE AT LEAST A 1" MARGIN AROUND IMAGE ON THE PLATE.

INKS- Crayon Black litho. Use this ink if you want to clean-up with mineral oil- I use Van Son Rubber Base and clean-up with odorless mineral spirits. However the use of mineral oil with the Crayon Black is less toxic.

READY TO PRINT?

The proper ink viscosity is important. You only need a small amount of ink; work the ink if it is too stiff, even adding a drop or two of oil to make it loose. I use sunflower oil though I suppose about any oil will do. If ink is too loose a very small dollop of CaCO3 will stiffen it. Roll it out on your ink slab. If of the proper viscosity, it will look like satin and make a pleasant whooshing sound when rolled.

Wet your other glass slab with a moist sponge. Place your plate on the damp, clamp an edge with your spring clamp, dampen the top of your Pronto Plate. Make sure that the plate is "stuck" to the glass slab by the damp surface of the glass. Roll up with ink RAPIDLY, 6 to 8 double passes with each inking. It is important to keep the plate damp.

As you dampen the plate with your sponge each time try not to use excessive water as this will emulsify your ink and cause difficulty.

The paper on which you print may or may not need to be damp. Generally a slicker looking paper will print w/o dampening but I mist the paper with a plant mister as I use a softer paper.

THE PRESS. I use an etching press. Lower the top roller until it touches the press bed. Lay out three sheets of newsprint or one sheet of 100 lb. paper on the bed, run under the roller and test for slight pressure. Lay the paper on which you wish to print on top, the inked Pronto Plate face downward on this and ROLL AWAY! No blankets!

A BONUS- The plate may be editioned again if after printing you dry print it three times on newsprint, wash with non-diluted universal fountain solution, rinse with water and let dry.

ANOTHER BONUS- You can use both sides of most Pronto Plates

TROUBLE SHOOTING- 1) PLATE SCUMS clean with undiluted Universal Fountain Solution and rinse with water. 2) PLATE NOT PRINTING- Ink too stiff- add oil or litho varnish. Or too much fountain solution in dampening water.

FORMULAE for TONER WASHES

1) one small part toner

2) very small part rubbing alcohol

3) 1or 2 parts water

4) a drop or two of screen drawing fluid

1) small part toner

2) 1 or 2 parts water

3) 2 or three drops of Jet Dry or Photo Flow

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU USE A LIGHT TONER WASH- Plus or minus 50% grey.

SUPPLY LIST

1) Pronto Plates- I order through MediaStreet.com. They also have an 800 number.

2) Universal Fountain Solution (Universal Pronto Flush…at Media Street)

3) Paper Towels

4) Toner from a business supply store

5) Bic black ball point pen

6) Sharpie pen

7) Waterproof Indian Ink (For black areas)

8) Future Floor Wax, dilute with water and add sumi ink for coloration.(For black areas)

9) Family oven or improvised oven and hot plate

10) Oven thermometer (grocery store)

11) Roller, something better than a speedball. 30 durometers

12) Water bowl and clean sponges

13) Sodium or Magnesium Carbonate in minute quantities

14) If non-toxic is your thing-baby or mineral oil (clean-up)

15) Odor free Mineral Spirits for the Devil-May-Care.(not really that toxic)

16) Crayon Black Litho. Ink or a commercial rubber based ink (Van Son)

17) Q-Tips

18) Spring clamp (hardware store)

19) A supply of newsprint the same size or larger than your Pronto Plate

20) Old newspapers for clean-up

21) Jet Dry from grocery or Photo Flow from photography store

22) Dova Dom deletion fluid from Media Street. Be frugal with this. It really works.

23) Two glass slabs, one to roll out ink, one to roll up the Pronto Plate.

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