Photopolymer Plates for Hot Foil Printing

Yes, I'm talking a lot again! This video is almost an open discussion with myself and to show you that yes you can hotfoil with photopolymer plates. We have been asked the question more frequently of late and decided to do more testing. We hope that you like the video and the results... please feel free to get in touch is you have any questions.

[@julianachow1980]

Thanks Lisa. Really appreciate your insights and tips!

[@LymeBayPress]

Thank you :)

[@paulgodden362]

Really useful video - thank you. I've been mulling over Photopolymer plates for our hot foiling but think I'll leave it on hold for now.

[@vickylouise4284]

Very informative video, thank you. I've been looking at your website for a number of months now and only just came across your channel!

[@LymeBayPress]

Thank you, we're currently working on the plates for polymer and getting much better results... I'll pop another video on when I get a chance.

[@vickylouise4284]

@@LymeBayPress that would be fantastic, I will keep an eye out!

[@alangeorgemehmet]

Thank you. Really useful information

[@suevarley8519]

So interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

[@LymeBayPress]

Sue Varley not a problem :)

[@simontrewin884]

Mind is officially blown now!!

[@TheQuillPress]

I use photopolymer all the time and have done for 20 odd years. We use PPM/H100 and the newer version of the plate from Polydiam and they are fantastic. I use them very successfully on a huge range of board , paper , plastic etc. Overwashing and underdrying can be a common error if you are not used to the process. Im guessing the foil you are using there looks like an older foil , I forget the grade but it looks like an old Foilco 637 I think it was . Also with the PPM/H100 you dont need anywhere near 170 degrees to work with, we are quite happy at about 145-150 even on colorplan and we dont have a very long dwell either. less than a second. We never dry in an oven, we use a hairdryer, the results just seem alot better and post expose for a good 20 minutes Just one observation I notice the metal the polymer is attached to is very thin which can cause problems on larger plates. By the way a good grade of foil for metallic foils using polymer is the CF ranges from B and H Foils. Hope thats helpful. All the best

[@LymeBayPress]

Thank you for this, I've only just seen it. It is very useful I've been looking at the Polydiam plate as an option, I'll get in touch with them and carry on playing...

[@TheQuillPress]

@@LymeBayPress You to , very much enjoy your videos. Lockdown meant I was doing even more with polymer plates as we were only getting the odd order , its back to ordering regularly with mags now but still using the polymer for those emergency need them tomorrow orders.

[@LymeBayPress]

TheQuillPress are you able to email me some pics of the results you get from your polymer foiling??

[@TheQuillPress]

@@LymeBayPress sure more than happy to have you got an email address to use

[@LymeBayPress]

TheQuillPress [e-mail] :)

[@dancerman1138]

Very helpfull

[@yasingh9456]

Hi , Lisa What should I do if my photopolymer plate is too thin ( 0.08 - 1.06 mm ) for printing fine lines and the exposed image areas on the plate almost very close to the height of the background of the plate , and the ink cover the whole printing side of the plate include the background of it ? Thank you

[@LymeBayPress]

Depending on the press, it sounds like you need to raise your rollers slightly to stop the base of the plate being inked. It may be easier to email me direct at Lyme Bay press and send some pictures of what is happening. Lis

[@Carlosgonzalez-sc1vg]

I'm building a machine just like that one with aluminum plates , will post when finished , wish me luck 🤞

[@Murzington]

How do you adhere the polymer to the steel backer plate?

[@LymeBayPress]

Hi, we use a Die Bonding tape, 3M is the make we have. I hope this helps. Lis

[@yasingh9456]

Hello , Lisa Can I replaced engraved copper plate with a very fine line details image on it by using a photopolymer plate instead ? and What is the highest resolution DPI for the photopolymer plate ? Thank You

[@LymeBayPress]

Hi There, it all depends on the design but it shouldn't be a problem. There is an artwork guide on the website under the help section which should give you all of the details. We like vector/Ai files, you don't have to worry about dpi then but if you are scanning a min. res. of 1200dpi should be fine, the higher you go the smoother the line will be. Hope this helps Lis

[@somashekharganta6560]

Can you please tell the bonding tape you use to mount the plates on the machine.

[@LymeBayPress]

Hi there, we use 3M due bonding tape.

[@somashekharganta6560]

@@LymeBayPress Thanks for the Useful information.

[@gilbertchua5558]

hi, may i know what photopolymer plate type and brand model did you use for hot stamping? i try to use toray wd95DII , but the foil wont stick to paper stock. my temp is already 150 degree celcius. waiting for your reply. thank you

[@LymeBayPress]

hi Golbert, we are still playing with types of plate but the main brand is Toyobo, the important thing is that you are using a steel back to retain as much heat as you can and your dwell times will still be quite high, up to 10 secs sometimes... it's still a little hit or miss and won't work with all artwork, but we'rewoking on it. Lis

[@gilbertchua5558]

@@LymeBayPress thank you so much for your reply. God bless

[@sayedarai150]

Well explained ... thank you. How you exposed the image on plate... do you make your own films...

[@LymeBayPress]

Yes, we make our own plates and films.... :)

[@joseluishernandez9587]

Hello. Could you share the brand and model of your hot stamping machine?

[@LymeBayPress]

Jose Luis Hernandez hi Jose, the one I used in the video was a Magmark, which I don’t think is made any more, I also have a Marshall, the new ones are now made by Metallic Elephant in the UK. Hope this helps Lis

[@themarketingbully1686]

do you sell these plates? if so, where can order one and how much would it be?

[@rossjones1214]

Hi Tyllah, we do, but I"m not happy that they are totally suitable for foiling just yet, they like some but not all papers and some but not all foils. There is a plate price clculator on our website, just look for the KM152 plates....

[@michellevanheuvelen9700]

Hi, is this a Magmark machine? And do you recomnend it?

[@LymeBayPress]

Yes :)

[@vanessalepsatre6821]

Hello ! Thank you so much for your video ! It’s amazing because we have been trying for 2 years to do it. We think the polymer plate is very important.. but we didn’t think that paper could affect the result so much ... Can you tell me what the exact reference of your polymer plate is? Where do you buy it ? Do you know what is the best paper of fedrigoni to this application ? thanks for advance :)

[@LymeBayPress]

Hi Vanessa, Ithink I've been trying that long to, the paper is definintely important, coated boards seem to work better but I'm still not sure that the plates are 100% ready, we use our Toyobo plate 152, we make the exposed and supply the unexposed. We are currently working on another type of plate that may work better, still Toyobo. I can't help you with Fedrigoni, I do use them but not enough to recommend a paper to use, sorry.

[@vanessalepsatre6821]

@@LymeBayPress Thank you so much for your kind reply.

[@vanessalepsatre6821]

Hello @Lyme Bay Press, I’ll send you an email to keep contact. Have a nice day !

[@michaelstephen3161]

Can you print with this machine digitally? i.e is it connected to the computer!?

[@LymeBayPress]

Afraid not....

[@myvycute]

how to lean your job please? im from vietnam in hanoi

[@thillainatarajan881]

Where can we have the photopolimer plates for hot foil stamp?

[@LymeBayPress]

We can make the steel backed polymers like those used in the video but I don't think that they are ready for foiling yet.

[@juanantoniorodriguezlira4798]

Hola! Como hace las placas para la maquina hotstamping?

[@LymeBayPress]

Hola, me temo que todavía no vamos a revelar esos secretos. Lo siento.

[@Jordan-td7yb]

Could these stamps work on leather?

[@LymeBayPress]

Hithere, I don't see why not, we've tested them on acrylic and wood to name a few. you may have to make sure you have the right foil and your impression won't be that deep because the plates that we now use for the are 0.95mm thick. I hope this helps. Lis