printing a single line (.5 pt)

Sigh… I’m still relatively new to this.

I’m doing a 2 color card. black text, lt blue rule underneath it. I cannot get the line to print evenly. (even after I changed it from horizontal to vertical.)

I’ve added new tape to the rails to even out the inking, but it’s still not working.
Is this just an impossible task?

adana 8 / 5, boxcar deep relief base plus deep relief plate,
If you have a minute to add your two cents, I’d be so grateful.

Cheers!

Anna

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A half point line is pretty much hairline rule, which requires the rule to be absolutely perfect. The problem may not be the press, but the plate. You also don’t indicate if you are trying to get heavy impression from the rule, which might be difficult to keep the inking on the edge of the rule.

If you can find some regular hairline rule, it may be worth setting up a form to work with that and see if it works any better. The project should be within the realm of the press.

My first guess would be you need to change your press packing. Deep impression causes matrixing. Like ruts in a dirt road. You can’t get impression even if your underlining surface is marked by compression. Just part of daily printing.

Gerald

Alas, I don’t have any metal to work with. Only the plastic plates. The folks that made them said that .25 pt was the limit so I thought I was safe. I also had a 1pt line made. I might adjust my design and decrease the color so the thicker line will not be so overbearing.

I am not looking for a huge bite into the paper. Just enough to make a crisp line under the text.

Will definitely look at the packing to see what might need to be changed.

But, bottom line, is this going to be a giant pain in the rear for me (novice printer)? ie; would something like this also vex an experienced printer.

thank you !!!

like Gerald said i think your packing and maybe your tympan might need changing.

Put a solid Border of 24 point or larger type high line around your single line, make sure the Border you make is larger than the trim size of your piece you print. The Border takes the pressure from the rollers and allows perfect inking of the small type. Same what you would do than printing a tiny book.

I’d also suggest pulling out the chase after inking up and having a look at how the ink coverage is on the rule. Make sure that the ink is even and only on the face of the polymer and not going over the shoulder.

Are your rollers set well? Are the trucks locked to the roller cores to keep the rollers turning with them?

On these little Adanas even inking isn’t the easiest thing, but when you get good at setting them, all that you learn will ‘scale up’ to also be applicable to printing on a larger platen press. A master of the Adana or Kelsey would take quickly to an Arab or Chandler & Price.

Daniel Morris
The Arm Letterpress
Brooklyn, NY

Thank you!
I removed the tape from the rails and put it on the wheels instead. That seemed to help.
I don’t think the Adana has rollers with attached wheels. Mine slip on and off. Slightly annoying.
Typenut, that sounds like a very plausible fix. Wish I had type to use.
Those of you with larger platen presses, do you find them to be less temperamental than presses like mine?

Thanks again for all your advice. It’s very valuable.