|
A material used as a light sensitive coating for a type of plate that is used for digital platemaking. The coating is sensitive to a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which allows the plate to be digitally imaged by lasers. The photopolymer emulsion contains light sensitive plastic and is exposed by Argon Ion lasers at 488 nm or double frequency YAG lasers at 532 nm. The plates are rated for up to 200 lpi and are capable of print runs of up to 250,000; however, print runs of 1,000,000 or more can be achieved if the plates are baked after they are developed. An advantage of photopolymer plates is that they are manufactured without hazardous ingredients such as silver, which is a toxic heavy metal. Photopolymer coatings can be processed with aqueous solutions and are much safer to work with. There is no silver residue and the processing chemicals have fewer restrictions for proper disposal.
|
