Pad-printing plate Printex

Printex offers three types of Image Plates:

Photo-Polymer Image Plates
A photo-sensitive nylon, laminated to a thin steel backing. Short to mid size production runs. Very cost effective, with the ability to produce in house with minimal equipment. A wide variety available through various manufacturers.

Different characteristics include thickness, speed, ability to hold fine detailed graphics vs. bold graphics and developing solution. There are two different methods of developing the image plate, alcohol and water. Some inks contain alcohol which would break down the plate during production. Typical life of a Photo-Polymer cliché can range between 5,000 up to 100,000 impressions Photo-Polymer Image Plate

Thin Steel Image Plates:
These thin steel plates offer relatively longer life than a photo-polymer plate. With a typical production run of 250,000 + these plates are ideal for mid to long production runs.


Permanent Steel Image Plates:
These plates are the longest lasting, and most durable due to their material composition. Images are etched directly into a hardened 3/8” thick steel plate.

Their cost is the highest, but yields the most impressions during a production run.

These plates will run continuously, up to a million impressions before wearing down. These plates, like the thin steel have to be made by Printex due to the process and equipment needed. Permanent Steel Image Plate

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