Fountain Solution for Poly Laser Plates

Hi everyone, We're using Base Line / Myriad plates making them on HP LaserJet 5000 with AB Dick MegaPlate (pink) fountain solution concentrate but experience serious framing problem - over paper size, blanket would get inked up with even some dirty drops at tail edge, less whater will cause toning. Is there designated fountain solution for these plates that will run fine on Compaks and / or conventional (Ryobi 3200 PFA ) ? Thank you wery much.

 

As a comparison I run the Presstek DPM plate material, chemicals and solutions with zero problems. Do double check your roller pressures and ink transfer. Glazed rollers and light form and idler settings wil cause poor transfer as we all well know. Cyl pressure as well. Condition/age of chemistry can also affect print quality. The Kompacs with the DPM plates do run a bit on the wet side. You can adjust pressure, nip to dial in on fussy jobs. Also be sure whatever press you have is up to the task of said job. My Kompac fountain mix is 4oz solution, 2 oz etch and 22 oz distilled H20. Press (3302) runs Spinks ink. I did find the some bargan and Mitsubishi brands of etch and solution not to be such a bargan and cause balance and scumming issues. So I'm paticular what I run for inks and solutions. More so the plate etch in paticular. Laser plates can be a little fussy and not as forgiving as metal. Screen values need to be tweaked as chemistry deteriorates. We normally get 6 weeks with bottle replenish every 4-5 days between cleanings and chemistry change. FWIW....

G.

 

The ab dick mega plate solution is ok. I have been running poly plates for 9 years and the best brand I have found is niken fountain solution blue or green about 3 to 4 oz per gallon and nothing else keeps screens open using all metalic inks.

 

You probably either have this well sorted out by now, or you have shoved the HP5000 in the corner and given up on it as a lost case.

The other two answers you got helped you a little I guess, but they did not get you were you want to be.

I have worked given technical support for this system for years, and I know what you need to do ...

AJAX ... it is not fount, it is not press ink, your problem is toner scatter. After you have imaged the plates, maki8ng sure they are fused properly using "ProRes1200" and Media type set to "Rough", use a wet cloth, add a little Ajax, and give the plate a good wipe over. Wipe it with a clean damp cloth, to remove any excess, and then print.

You will be happy!!

If I can help you further, and I know I can, feel free to visit my website, stuff4print.com and use the "contact us" page.

 

we have been using Solutek in our DPM 2000 ,same as the AB Dick/presstech but is $20 a case cheaper. Also we run 7mil paper, 13 3/8 width ,its the widest the press can take and made a big improvement-more surface area outside image alows the press to run "cleaner". We Also use ABdick/presstech silver chem fountain solution and PerTech ink with great results .As far as your printing problems as stated above ,clean rollers,check pressers .Whats your PH and conductivity at the start of a run? also what are they when the trouble begins?also if your not already doing it try Distilled water and see if it helps. also do you calibrate your platemaker daily?

 

mark 3 fountain solution

hey if anyone knows someone who use mark 3 nikken f.s i have 25 gallons of it,we dont use it anymore. sale for a good price. email me at rebeljo@msn.com thxs

 

I have also been looking into poly laser plates.

With all my reading and research, I have understood, when printing, keep the toner setting below normal. There won't be alot of excess of toner to mess you up on the press.

I got a free sample pack of two sided intelli-plates I will try out soon.
Nothing to loose they were free right???

Anyone ever use them or know anything about them???

I also don't know why you would need etch or anything in a fountain solution with a kompac other than the fountain solution itself and water.

 

Universal Fountain from BestChem & Supply works great with plastic and poly plates.Kompac or conventional or dahlgren or crestline or socks it works with all of them.

 

Curious that people have such trouble with fount. I run a GTO with bareback damping and use a genreic fount diluted by 90% water (well, a slosh of fount in a bottle of water that looks like about 9:1!) ... I switch between metal and poly plates all the time without problems. CMYK work, glossy, coated stocks, envelopes, I put the lot through and rarely have problems with fount unless I haven't cleaned and replace the solution for a while.

 

Hi, You seem like a really good person to contact re: the poly/laser plates. We gave up on our HP 5100 recently - getting old, image disappearing on press, etc. We have a great copier/laser printer in the Okidata CX3641. Two things. I'm playing with the settings because (1) the fonts are coming out a little thicker than desired - ink will thicken them up even more-need toner density adjustment? and (2) you don't see it on the plate but when pressman begins the job, there's toning over the entire sheet/image (light coverage of ink everywhere). Been in touch with Hurst rep - he recommends settings of Media Type "Plain" and paper weight "ultra heavy 3". Do you know anything about the settings I should use on this machine? Also, would you review for me the steps in processing the plate after imaging. Seems our pressman is new to these plates and a little lost on the procedure.
Any help will be much appreciated.

 

We are using universal fountain solution from http://www.shop.bestchemsupply.com .We have used this product since 2009 with absolutely no problems since switching. You forget how well it works when the are no troubles.

 

IS it working well I was also planning for the same.

 

Yes it is working very well. I have not had any problems since we started using it in 2009

 

I think you better off reconditioning your HP5100, all you need a new maintenance kit, new OEM cartridge, transfer roller. Clean the printer, clean the leaser inside and unless you have gazillion print on it, you should be fine. Color machines are not good for platemaking, that is why HP5100 is so popular and Xante labeled some other printer are soooo expensive.

 

Are they laser poly plates?
How do you hang them