🚀 go-pugleaf

I don't know of anyone using it, but I'd have to ask why stochastic screening for a newspaper? A magazine I understand, but for newsprint???

Gary,

There is one paper in our chain using it with very beautiful results. We're in the process of making a decision on CTP.
Will test plates on our press tomorrow. Will post when we finish the test.

-Hugh

Printing stochastic on newsprint paper stock is way out of limitations imposed by this kind of paper.
For one, you have to register very fine fixed size dots (of approx. 2% equivalent percentage at 150 lpi apparent AM resolution)
Second, dot gain on newsprint is way too much (typical SWOP 0f 20% expected, may go well over 30%).
Third, FM (stochastic) rasters inherently suffer from noise in the highlights areas and this is further pronounced by high dot gain.

So if you have some good results we certainly would like to know details - kind of press used, kind of paper stock, heatset/coldset workflow e.tc.

rgrds
George

PS To answer your question, I don't know of anyone doing it on newspapers

George,

I'm amazed by all this.

To answer your questions, the plant currently using FM is running Creo CTP with Creo stochastic software. Printing is on a nine-unit Goss Community. They print a daily and several weeklies.

Our plant (where we�re testing today or tomorrow) has an eight-unit Atlas. We also print a daily and several weeklies.

Both plants use no-thrills newsprint � the basic, off-the-truck stuff everyone is using.

I hope to get some more detail today about specific challenges and workflow when I talk to the press manager from the plant using FM.

-Hugh

Hugh,

I know Creo and Goss machines. Agreed, you can produce FM screens on CTP and use them on newsprint paper. I only would ask, why?

Probably you can generate profiles for such and have the process calibrated, but you still have a much higher dot gain with FM than with AM rasters even for high quality triple coated stock, not to say anything for normal newsprint stock.

So beyond technicalities, the simple question might be, what is the cost/benefit ratio compared to conventional halftone screens printing of newspapers?

I am asking since we are also printing a newspaper (80 pages 4 color tabloid) and we do produce stochastic FM as well as other special screens with our Heidelberg PrintReady system but for high quality mags. For the newspaper we do it with classic (AM) IS screens.

tnx
George

We currently print all our newspapers using fm screening.
Quality is up ink is more consistent registration is better.
We do a/b tests using am screening on a regular basis and every time fm wins hands down.
We print about 30-40 titles per week.

Wow, I'm with George. It would just seem that the precarious dot gain often associated with Stochastic and add that to dot gains on normal newsprint and I would think it would make the production climate extremely hard to control (slower runs, inconsistent, harder to manage colors and images, etc.). I'll certainly yield to user testimonies but this is a new one on me.

Gordon