Comments on: Printing at 450 Line Screen

By: Mohd Jomaa

Mohd Jomaa — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:07:44 +0000

Hi Guys, i saw this wonderful blog page by the way, i would like to know some information about the Aluminum 250ml cans printing technology (like printing type and name, quality & resolution, colors ink name, is it mixed or spot colors? C.M.Y.K, pantone, or others like Halftone Dot clearance etc… ) i think it is flexographic butt i don’t know any kind of inks they use

i would really Appreciate if can someone Support

Mohd Jomaa

By: Adrian

Adrian — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 17:48:20 +0000

The following is more venting than anything else: After lobbying for the best printer possible, the decision was made mainly on price. We gambled that the client wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, and we lost. The color was off to the point where one half of a spread didn’t match the other. While I should feel a little validation in my efforts to push for higher quality, instead I feel like the blame is getting directed at me! I just can’t win sometimes…

By: Clinton Carlson

Clinton Carlson — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 20:16:05 +0000

Yeah, thanks Ken!

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sun, 06 Mar 2005 22:29:09 +0000

Ken, thanks for sharing your expertise!

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 23:34:00 +0000

When it comes to high definition screening technologies, the most important thing to keep in mind is the intended use. Adrian, as you have pointed out, will the client’s customers notice the difference? For instance, on a high-end marketing piece, the customer might not ‘notice’ how it is printed, but they will notice that the colours are vibrant, and the images jump off the page.
For this reason, our company (a printing company in Vancouver, Canada) regularly uses either an advanced 300lpi screening technology (AM screening) OR 20 micron stochastic (FM screening), depending on the intended use, and the images in the job.
As Clinton pointed out, the downside of FM is “microbanding” or as he called it, “banding and edges being found in light gradations”. This is not the fault of the printer, it is inherent to stochastic screening. If your job has flat tints, or subtle graduated screens, AM is the better choice. The downside is that FM has in the past been the only way to get more vibrant colour. But now, printers are pushing the envelope, (and in our case, employing new screening algorithms) to increase the lpi of what was once called ‘conventional screening’. This sounds like what Colorado Printing is doing.
Most of all, remember that once you’re above about 250-300 lpi, (or 20 micron if you’re going stochastic) the dot becomes invisible to the casual observer. So 300 or even 400 is about as high as you would need to go to get those amazing eye-popping colours.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 05:30:16 +0000

Simanek! Thanks for your insights. Everything you said sounds right to me.

I keep pushing for the high quality printing, but it isn’t going that well. It seems to be a continual game of the “Emperor’s New Clothes.” First, I am not sure if my boss will be able to tell the difference. My boss isn’t sure if our client will be able to see the difference. The client isn’t sure if their customers will notice the difference. Sigh…

By: Simanek

Simanek — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 03:57:24 +0000

If a printer is referring to ‘linescreen’ that means they are using an amplitude modulated dot that is set in a line or regular pattern. The position of the dots is constant while its diameter changes to create different values. A ‘random’ pattern only exists in stochastic printing (which is what most inkjets use) or ‘frequency modulated’ printing. In this method the dot size is constant while its position and proximity to other dots create different values. There is no linescreen in this method. With a linescreen at 450 lpi the largest dot is considerably smaller than that of 150 lpi and so it is more difficult to see the dots, no matter what shape they are. I am curious about the dot gain on such a fine line screen. From my knowledge, we can make plates with much higher resolutions and line screens, but the viscosity of the inks and the press’s ability to control the amounts of ink are the limitations. Remember that the resolutions of presses, or more specifically the film and platemakers, is something in the area of 1200 to 2400 (I’m not a pressman, so I could be wrong) but regardless, greater and greater precision of linescreen is not a mountain of image quality without a peak. I’m sure Adrian and Bennett can uproot what I’m saying in a second, but from what I have read and seen, this is how it works and I thought you all might benefit from hearing it. Or you could be a whole lot dumber.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 00:24:37 +0000

I don’t know for sure if the square dot has a random pattern or not. I didn’t think it did, but I could be wrong. I invited Steve Johnson from Colorodo Printing to our site. Maybe he can clarify.

By: Clinton Carlson

Clinton Carlson — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 23:40:39 +0000

Jimmy, I’m far from an expert in this area, but I do not believe that square dots will work in a traditional 150 lpi. I believe they require a “random” pattern rather than the equidistant line-screen in 150 lpi. It appears more like an inkjet print in that the dots are scattered and make no discernable pattern.

By: Jimmy Hilario

Jimmy Hilario — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 11:09:02 +0000

I sure would like to see samples of 450lpi. Using square dots is interesting. Would square dots improve offset printing on 150 or 133 lpi which is the standard in my place.