We have done duotones for years with the same process except using a 9910 with T-51. To us it = marginal success. The last one we did the customer came in and OK'd proofs off the press but I was sick... it looked BAD. So I yanked the job and we ran it our 28" Roland. It was NIGHT and DAY different.

Common blanket is just NOT the way to run a Duotone...PERIOD. Sure you might get fair results and if you and your customer are happy then thats good, but for us quality is everything and we just wont do it that way anymore. We now run them on our Ryobi 3302 or on the Roland. Even off our Xerox 7760 the results are WAY better.

While I agree 100% multiple blanket presses are the way to go.....some shops don't have the luxury of that and have to run common blanket. Any pressman that's worth a hoot will KNOW how to pull it off. Color rotation, ink tack all play into factor. Running common blanket machines for some 20 years you learn a thing or 2 about what you can and can't do. And what you can't you learn to work around it. So to me it's not so much the machine but the pressman running it that makes the difference. JMO.....

Midwestprinting can you post some of your two color duotone samples using the Ryobi 3302 or the Roland.

David C. Lopez

First off, we print a very nice piece as a duotone. There is a market if a customer wants it.. that simple. We only print this for one customer, about $8,000 job once a year. Metallic Green and Black. I agree, a quality operator maked the difference. I am wondering, if you have a 3302 AND a Rolland, why were you attempting this off the 9910??