Printing Plates

HOW BAGS ARE PRINTED

Plastic bags are printed using flexographic process. Flexographic plates apply ink directly onto the bags, unlike plates used in offset printing which apply ink onto a printing cylinder.  Flexo plates can generally be used for many years without any degradation of image quality.

ORDERING PLATES

For printed bags, we highly recommend having your plates made through us. This streamlines the production process and creates far fewer headaches for you and your customers.

Some of our clients prefer to provide plates for their jobs, either because they have an existing relationship with a plate maker, or in an attempt to save money by ordering direct. Unfortunately, dealing with third party plate makers can create delays, and any cost savings will be minimal. Costs could even be higher in the long run if plates are made to incorrect specifications, contain errors, or become unusable due to cracking.

Advantages to having us make your plates :

  • TIME SAVINGS – Our local plate maker delivers daily – most orders arrive the next day. Because we know when plates will arrive, we can place orders on our production schedule immediately. Jobs with customer provided plates can't be scheduled until the plates arrive, which can delay production for several days, or even weeks.
  • GUARANTEE – Plates made through us are guaranteed to match the art proof we provide. Customer provided plates are used as-is. We will compare to your art proof, but are not responsible for plate quality or for replacing plates if incorrect.
  • DAMAGE REPLACEMENT – Over time, plates wear out and crack, requiring replacement for future orders. Damaged plates made through us will be replaced without charge.  For customer provided plates, the customer bears costs for plate replacement.
  • QUALITY – For best results, art must be properly formatted before being submitted to the plate-maker. Our art department makes sure that all art is correctly formatted prior to making the plate. Incorrectly formatted art files may result in text shifts, fonts changing, incorrect line screens, and trapping issues.
  • PLATE PREPARATION – When printing, plates are attached to printing cylinders with sheets of double sided sticky-back film. The cost for attaching the tape is included in our plate cost. On customer provided plates, there will be an additional charge for adding the tape to the plates. 
Plate Comparison Chart
 
Plates made through American Plastic
Customer provided plates
Job scheduled when art is approved
YES – job is scheduled immediately
NO – job isn't put on schedule until plates arrive.
Plates guaranteed to match art
YES – We provide an art proof and mock up guaranteed to match the final product
NO – your plates will be used as-is.
Art correctly formatted
YES – Our art department makes sure art is submitted correctly in vector format
Maybe – it all depends on your designer and printer
High quality plates
YES
Maybe
Pre-press plate preparation included in plate cost
YES – plates are checked for imperfections, marked with job information, and attached to sticky back tape.
NO – plates used as is. If sticky back isn't attached, charges will be added.
Replacement of damaged plates.
YES – plates can last many years, but if they ever crack we will replace them.
NO – if plates become cracked or unusable, customer pays for new plates.

 

If you want to provide your own plates

All plates provided by customers must be made to the following specifications. If not made accordingly, your order may incur extra charges, or your plates may not be usable:

  • Any halftones printed at 35 LPI
  • 3M Cyrel .107 plate media
  • Backed with  3M 411DL sticky-back tape
  • Between .050 and .060 relief
  • 1" dead space around perimeter of image area
  • All crop marks (tick marks) must be removed
  • Etched center scribe lines
  • Beveled edges
  • Provide an art proof showing proper art positioning on bag

PLATES WILL BE USED AS RECEIVED

Customer bears all responsibility for making sure plates are made to the above specifications. American Plastic assumes no responsibility for print quality due to plate abnormalities, damage, or errors. Additional charges will apply if plates require backing or other adjustments.

Digital proof showing art position on bag MUST be submitted either with plates or through email.

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH PLATES 

Improperly made plates can result in poor print quality or incur extra charges. Here's some common issues to be aware of.

  • Plates made from bitmapped images – may cause edge half-toning.
  • Plates made to incorrect specifications – may result in poor print quality, or may be unusable
  • Plates made with inadequate trapping – may result in poor image quality
  • Crop marks not trimmed off of plates –  marks will print on bag. Additional charges will apply to remove crop marks.
  • Double sided backing not attached – Backing has to be added. Additional charges will apply
  • Registration marks not included – Multiple color jobs may be registered incorrectly. Requires additional work and time to setup correctly. Additional setup charges will apply.