Paper, Makeready and Packing Tips
Hello,
the newbie of the newbies is back. I received my Gordon CP style 8x12 press, I saw another post here that the person wanted to know how deep an impression a CP would give. The person replying told them that improper packing and platen adjustment would destroy the press.
So, I obviously don’t want to destroy mine, could you all suggest a proper Paper Thickness (name manufacture) to get a good deep impression,
Also, any make ready suggestions, (I have a few die cuts I will be using, but mostly going to go with boxcar press base and polymer plates.
More importantly, could you tell me how to best pack my platen to give good results but not stress the castings.
The printer who checked it over said the platen was perfectly level.
Thanks so much! I know thats a lot of questions, but there isn’t anyone in my immediate area that does this sort of printing any more.
I’d suggest a sheet of closed-cell foam, like a piece of a yoga mat, taped to the platen so the paper you are scrunching sits on it and the plate or type punches into that sandwich. It’ll probably punch through the paper on the first few tries until you get it adjusted, but the foam should allow deep impression without hurting the press too much. You’ll probably want soft 100% long-staple cotton rag paper so it will hold together OK.
Just my dos colones worth (about 2/5 of a cent ;-)
Bob
My two cents would be to use packing designed for the job. Hard packing, available from NA Graphics, on top of a sheet of pressboard, under some tympan or Mylar, will provide you with the crispest print.
If you want to print with a deep impression, and you’re worried about damage, only ever print from plates and not type. Typemetal is very soft and will damage quickly.
Make sure you are never printing through your paper. You can hurt your press putting excessive pressure on the print, printing through your drawsheet into the first few sheets of packing. However, if you’re careful to print deeply into your paper, but not so deeply as to be able to see impression in your packing, I don’t think you are at all risking damaging your press.
Paper (even the dense stuff) is not very hard, steel is. I would maybe think twice about trying to print as deeply as I could into a 0.080” thick bookboard, but any ‘paper’ commercially available I would print deeply on an 8x12 (up to maybe a 6x8 print size) without thinking twice about it.
If you try for deep impression by just smashing type into paper, you run the risk of cracking a casting - as well as destroying the type. Proper packing (and platen adjustment, if necessary) minimizes that risk, and gives you a more predictable result.
I think #modernman has it right - you don’t print “through” the paper.