Products
Photopolymer
PlateCrafters specializes in high end digital photopolymer flexo plates. We are an ideal fit for anyone with ISO 9001 or G-7 standards. We utilize a state of the art Kodak/Creo CTP system powered by our Nexus/AWS Rip. Our system eliminates many traditional platemaking concerns, by automating most of the plate manufacturing.
For less complex jobs and line work that need a more price conscious approach, we also provide high quality traditional analog flexo plates. This method requires a film negative to burn the image onto the plate using a UV light source. This is a great option for your spot color work and long runs.
Whether you need digital or analog: we offer a full range of materials, thicknesses and sizes ranging all the way to 50”x80”. Whatever your polymer plate need may be, we have a solution that can help. In addition, once we have approved artwork, same day turn around is our standard. With a quality guarantee and a price match program in place, please give a salesperson a call now for a quote: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Analog Photopolymer
We improve upon traditional fingerprinting, by using live jobs to monitor your press and make plate adjustments on an ongoing basis. As your press profile is configured, press set-up time becomes greatly reduced.
Magnesium Dies
Foil Hot Stamping & Embossing Dies with Counters
Magnesium Dies
Magnesium is the best material for most hot stamping, embossing, & letterpress applications. Magnesium Dies are less expensive then copper or brass and recent quality advancements have made it suitable for all but the most intricate of jobs.
We offer .250, 11 point & 16 gauge magnesium dies for hot & cold foil stamping, embossing & debossing, as well as crash printing and letterpress. Both 16g. and 11pt magnesium dies can be mounted on wood to achieve type high. We also offer custom molded counters for embossing dies that will ensure a perfect impression without harming the die.
Copper Dies
Copper dies have become largely obsolete with the improvements made in magnesium dies. But when your customer demands copper for their job, we can gladly accommodate this request. Though the turn around and cost is much greater, the end quality is unsurpassed.
PlateCrafters generally ships all magnesium die orders same day. With our quality guarantee and price match program, please give a sales person a call now to see how we can help you: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Rubber
PlateCrafters is one of the last flexo trade shops still producing rubber printing plates. With advancements to photopolymer, and the craftsmanship involved in manufacturing rubber plates, many platemakers have given up on rubber. However, PlateCrafters recognizes that a need for rubber plates still exists.
Rubber plates lasts much longer than polymer plates, and is able to print with aggressive inks that eat through other plate materials. If you have a job running millions of impressions, or an especially corrosive ink, rubber may be the perfect solution. Made from a magnesium engraving, rubber plates have a lower cost for additional plates and reorders.
Another benefit of rubber plates is that we can make a plate of any thickness and can even mount onto handles to make old fashioned hand stamps. With a variety of rubber types, we can help you find a solution to fit any printing or stamp need.
We offer a quality guarantee and a price match program, so please give a sales rep a call now to see how we can help: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Corrugated
PlateCrafters is a leading manufacturer of sheet flexo printing plates for corrugated printers. (we do not offer liquid polymer due to it’s low quality and inconsistency) With our high quality Harley mounters, we can mount any flexographic plate to your specs in order to print on any corrugated box or packaging.
Flexo printing on a corrugated substrate requires a soft plate to make an impression with the ebbs of the corrugation. We are able to obtain a variety of materials at any durometer needed to meet your demands. So whether you need loose .250 plates to mount in house, or a fully mounted multi color job, we can offer the right solution.
With our quality guarantee and price match program, give us a call to see how we can help you: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Dry Offset
PlateCrafters offers a very wide variety of materials and solutions for any letterpress or dry offset need you may have. We regularly service varnish and UV coating applications as well as egg carton printing, form printing, etc.
Our standard dry offset plate is a thin photopolymer mounted on a film or metal backing. Our dry offset plates are a good option for any letterpress application. We also offer 16g mag which can be mounted type-high for various letterpress needs.
Our specialty is in getting you precisely the material you need for your specific application. With literally thousands of variations of dry offset material types, we will match the material you are comfortable with. Simply send us in a sample and we will take care of the rest.
Some additional uses: Embossing /Debossing, Pad Printing, Can printing, Cup printing, Carton printing, Bucket printing, Container and Lid printing, Form Printing, UV Coating, Varnish Application, Egg Carton Printing, Thin Corrugated Printing, and much more.
With our quality guarantee and price match program, please let us know how we can help in your application: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Filmwork
PlateCrafters produces film for a wide range of applications. We utilize both silver based film as well as carbon based film. We can create matte or glossy film with emulsion on either side in 4 mil or 7 mil thickness.
Our film is used in all flexographic, offset, silkscreen and any other light sensitive application. Combined with our art services and wide format printing, we can help with any project you might have.
Our silver based film is output through one of our imagesetters, while the carbon based film is output from one of our CTP digital laser systems.
Whatever the need you may have for film; with our quality guarantee and price match program, please let us know how we can help: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Art Services
PlateCrafters has 15 highly skilled artists on staff. With diverse backgrounds including art degrees, computer science degrees and illustration; we have an artist specially trained for any project you might have. Our specialty is taking any file and making it flexo ready, we can work with any printing method or design request.
Our artists regularly take a file in any condition and make the necessary corrections, adjustments, and even recreation so that it can print the way the end customer envisions. There is no art project too small or large for us to help with and make into a final product.
Finally, you will always have the opportunity to deal directly with an artist here in the US, never a customer service rep submitting requests overseas.
With our quality guarantee and price match program, please give us a call now to see how we can help take your art from concept to press: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Proofing
PlateCrafters offers a variety of proofing options to meet any need. PDF proofing is the preferred practice for most print jobs and allows for instant viewing and approvals. PlateCrafters never charges for pdf proofs unlike most competitors. Also included with every set of plates at no charge is a standard color printout on 8.5x11 which is perfect for pressman to easily see position and color selection.
For larger jobs, if your customer needs to see a 100% proof, we have an inexpensive option in our wide web HP proofs. This is perfect for wide web and larger format print jobs when a full size proof is needed. Pricing is dependent on size, but is generally under $50.
PlateCrafters signature proofing system is the Dupont Cromapro proofing system utilizing a high end Epson printer. This is the ideal proofing method for process printing. If your customer or pressman needs a high quality color proof, this is the proof of choice.
Finally, while expensive, we can also provide a Kodak Approval if this is something your customer is requiring. We generally discourage it, because the proof will look better than you can match on press.
Whatever your proofing needs: PlateCrafters can meet your requirements. Let us know how we can help: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Finally, you will always have the opportunity to deal directly with an artist here in the US, never a customer service rep submitting requests overseas.
With our quality guarantee and price match program, please give us a call now to see how we can help take your art from concept to press: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting, or “press characterization”, is a test that measures press capabilities and can help us create printing plates tailored to your press. Traditionally, fingerprinting is done as a stand alone print job. This requires a complete set of printing plates made to fit your press only. It requires a full set up and press run. It is generally very time consuming and expensive to a printer. It also, unfortunately is only partially effective as a true press test. PlateCrafters is happy to create Fingerprint only plates for your press and analyze the results. However, there is a better way.
PlateCrafters has developed a form of Fingerprinting that is more reliable and cost effective then traditional methods. Instead of creating a stand alone set of plates, we put our test in the margin of live jobs. Not only does this save you the cost of plates, ink, stock and press time; it makes for much more reliable results. When running traditional fingerprints, the pressman knows the job is a test and does not run the test in the same way he runs a live job. It has been our confirmed experience that live jobs will not match the results of a standard fingerprint. However, by running tests in the bearer bars or margins of a live job, we can see what true press conditions are.
There is an additional benefit to live job fingerprinting: continuous monitoring. This means that on every process job, we can run these fingerprinting tests. So on day one, your press may run one way; but 3 months later it may be running completely different. By sending us the scraps from your live jobs, we can keep a continuous watch on how your press is running and update our profile for you on an ongoing basis. Using our Betaflex 334 & spectrodensitometer to read the results; we can adjust our plates for your various station’s dot gain and keep you informed on your own registration and ink density. We can actually help you become a better printer. The best part is that PlateCrafters does not charge any fee to analyze fingerprint results from a live job.
So whether you would like to set up a fingerprint only test, or order a live job to truly profile your press, give us a call now: 888-Flexo-Plate.
Digital Coating Plates
PlateCrafters specializes in digital coating plates for the commercial offset and lithographic printing industries. As a preferred vendor of Quad Graphics and other fortune 500 printers, PlateCrafters understands the costs associated with down press time and the importance of a perfect coating plate every time. Our digital coating plates offer the highest quality print finishing used in a variety of applications such as spot coating for mailers, catalogues, folding cartons and much more. Our coating plates can be used for any coating; from high gloss, matte or satin UV coatings to aqueous coatings to more specialized coatings such as soft touch, grit, metallics, and raised UV. Whatever your application or need, PlateCrafters can provide the appropriate coating plate. So whether you have a Heidelberg, Mitsubishi, Komori, Kompac, or Ryobi press, we can make sure that your press room efficiency is maximized.
With gauges from .045, .067, .080 and up we will provide you with the right plate for your press.
Who We Serve
Mission Statement
“To honor God and our fellow man through the quality manufacturing of printing plates, enhancing the world we live in via numerous industries; while handling business in such a way that leaves our employees, customers, vendors, and society blessed through our conduct.”
