Letterpress printing pressure

Ma.ke-Rea.dy, Because pressure is needed for ink wetting and transfer and because the image elements in letterpress vary in size, the same amount of printing pressure or squeeze exerts more pressure on highlight dots than on shadow dots. This necessitates considerable make-ready to even the impression so that the highlights print correctly and do not puncture the paper. Precision plates and premake-ready systems have helped reduce make-ready time, but it is still appreciable for quaUty printing and is a reason letterpress has been largely replaced by other processes. 

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