Are you a letterpress printer looking to get photopolymer printing plates made? Finding a good, reliable source for plates is difficult, especially if you’re located in Canada. We produce all our plates ourselves and offer this as a service to our fellow printers.
Design by Plume Calligraphy
We process KF95 plates. If you’re using a Boxcar base these plates will work with the standard relief base.
Plates are $1.05 per square inch. There are no additional film or setup fees. Minimum order is 35 square inches.
You can submit your order using the form below or email us at plates@hubbubpaperco.com
To ensure that your plate order goes smoothly, check our file preparation guidelines and FAQ. If you’re not sure how to prepare your artwork just email us and we’d be more than happy to help! Here’s a quick checklist before you submit your files:
vector artwork
PDF or illustrator file
artwork meets line weight minimums (0.25pts for lines, 1pt for dots)
artwork is 100% black (not rich black)
all fonts are converted to outlines
Approximately 10" x 15"
Currently we only process KF95 plates which are 0.037" thick. If you’re using a Boxcar Base, these work with a standard relief base (0.875" thickness).
No need, we’ll take care of this for you! You can just send your artwork right-reading as you want it to appear in the final print.
This really depends on how you prefer to print. Crop marks can help when registering multiple colours and trimming down your finished pieces. However they also add to the overall size of your plate, making the plates a little more expensive. If you do wish to have crop marks on your plates make sure to add them to your file and that they meet the minimum line weight the plate will hold. We do not add crop marks to your artwork.
If you want, you can certainly gang up your own artwork to maximize on how your plate is laid out. Ganging up your own artwork can give you more control about how pieces fit together and the spacing between them. Keep in mind that you need to leave sufficient room between separate elements to cut the plate apart (we recommend at least a 0.4" gap). Or send us separate files and will gang them up for you.
Easy! Just use regular scissors or an exacto knife.
The most common problem when printing with photopolymer plates is setting the roller height. If the rollers aren’t properly set on the press they will apply too much pressure when passing over the plate and essential squish a bunch of extra ink on to the plate. Make sure you measure your roller heights and adjust if necessary. In most cases this would involve taping the rails to slightly raise the rollers (unless you are lucky enough to have adjustable bearers on your press). If this doesn’t solve your issue, double check that you’re not adding too much ink to the press. You’d be surprised how little you actually need.
When you’re done printing, clean your plate by carefully wiping off the ink with a soft rag or shop towel. Then gently wipe the plate with a mild solvent, avoiding the edges of the plate so the solvent doesn’t affect the adhesive backing. Finally dry with a clean rag.
Store your plates in a ziplock bag to maintain a consistent humidity. This will help avoid plate curl. Keeping them in a dark spot like a box, drawer or cabinet will limit their exposure to UV light which can dry them out or crack them.
Be careful to avoid getting dirt and debris stuck to the adhesive back of the plate. This can cause it to no longer adhere properly to the base or even cause uneven printing. Replace the blue protective backing on your plate as soon as you’re finished using it. If your adhesive does get dirty it is possible to change the adhesive backing and continue to use the plate. Just let us know and will help you out.
Simply fill out the form below and upload your files to our Dropbox. We’ll review your files and send you an invoice for the total.
