Solar Plate Printing

Step six print plate.

Solar plate printing.

With this hopeful small chance i am crossing my fingers that solarplate can continue. A friendly competitor involved in the industrial printing world is looking into manufacturing the plates. Images can be transferred from clear film such as acetate or true grain to the plate using a source of ultra violet light i e. Solarplate is a light sensitized steel backed polymer material used by artists as an alternative to hazardous printing techniques.

Solar plates are easy to use with little experience of traditional printmaking processes. Unlike traditional etching techniques no. Now the technique is widely known as solarplate printmaking or solar etching a term that describes so well the way many printmakers are working exposing plates in. Dan welden an american printmaker found that by exposing a plate in the sun he could make a high quality intaglio plate very simply and cuickly thus the name solar plate.

Solar plate printmaking or polymer etch is a relatively new print process that enables images to be established onto metal plates by exposure to light using sunlight or an ultra violet light source. Bright sunlight or a uv bulb. Once exposed solar plates are simply developed in water without the need of additional harmful chemicals. For our purposes solar plates are quite forgiving.

You can work in normal indoor lighting conditions with incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. Printing may be done in either relief or intaglio. Ink wipe and print as an intaglio. The plates are developed by washing in water and can be printed as intaglio or relief prints.

Step five filing the plate. The resulting plates reproduce fine. Plate thickness is less than standard zinc or copper and presses should be adjusted accordingly. Before inking eliminate the sharp corners of the plate with a file and remove the burr from the steel backing.

Solar plates are a simple safe and fast approach to etching and relief printing that does not use grounds acids or solvents. This post is going to show you the steps for printing solar plates through genna s wedding invitation. Solar plates are made with a special photopolymer that hardens when exposed to a uv light source. Solar plate printing was the process past resident monica lacey worked with while staying with us last summer.

Nontoxic cleanup when finished printing solarplate can be cleaned using nontoxic methods.