Comments on: How-To: Lasercut Printing Plates http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/ DIY projects, how-tos, and inspiration from geeks, makers, and hackers Sun, 19 May 2013 10:34:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: walker http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/#comment-331691 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:32:49 +0000 http://blog.makezine.com/?p=172747#comment-331691 Another important distinction between the two ( besides the nature of their lines) is the type of ink used. Intaglio uses a very runny low viscosity ink whereas letterpress uses a stiff high tack ink. Laser has been used for both processes before but most printers find polymer plates more economical. Check out boxcarpress.com and Graphic Chemical and Ink. This is a good research project but my experience is that the laser diode must be of the finest quality to get the line results needed for fine printing. Don’t forget paper quality too! Letterpress can be printed on dry sheets whereas intaglio must be printed on damp rag paper to be successful. Good Work. Cheers.

]]> By: William Abernathy http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/#comment-331557 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:28:07 +0000 http://blog.makezine.com/?p=172747#comment-331557 Matt: Thank you for being so responsive!

Joby: I would sum up the difference most succinctly with “innie vs. outie” but my printer friends might throw some type at my head.

]]> By: Matt Richardson http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/#comment-331553 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:52:32 +0000 http://blog.makezine.com/?p=172747#comment-331553 Thanks for letting me know. I’ve struck “letterpress” from “intaglio letterpress plates.”

]]> By: Joby Elliott http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/#comment-331549 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:02:55 +0000 http://blog.makezine.com/?p=172747#comment-331549 Would you say the difference might be summed up as how intaglio has “reservoirs that hold the ink and are transfered to the paper,” and letterpress and other relief printing is “protrusions that are inked and then transferred.”

]]> By: William Abernathy http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/22/how-to-lasercut-letterpress-plates/#comment-331548 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:54:08 +0000 http://blog.makezine.com/?p=172747#comment-331548 Interesting, but there’s a serious terminological flaw. Intaglio and letterpress are different processes. In intaglio, the ink is rubbed into the low spots on the plate and off of the high spots. Then, the paper is mashed into the plate hard enough that the ink transfers from the grooves to the page. Letterpress is a type of relief printing. You roll ink onto the high spots, and transfer it directly from the high points of the type or plate onto the page, using less pressure than intaglio.

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