Esko Hits High Line With New Screens

Building on its screening expertise for offset printing, and based on market feedback about required adjustments to FM screening, Esko-Graphics has launched Highline Screens.

Building on its screening expertise for offset printing, and based on market feedback about required adjustments to FM screening, Esko-Graphics has launched Highline Screens, to its Flexrip screening range.

By combining the advantages of stochastic screening with those of standard AM screening with rosettes, Highline Screens is claimed to enable printers to easily print the finest image details.

Unlike FM (stochastic) screening, Highline Screens are AM screens that require no learning curve for the press operator, but provide an instant quality enhancement.

In recent years, said Esko-Graphics, many printers and trade shops have successfully adopted its Monet stochastic screening.

However, customer feedback, together with the company's research led to the development of a new generation of AM technology.

Highline Screens have been released as optional screens on Flexrip, and can be used in combination with the Esko's Platedriver, Imagemaker and Megasetter.

It can also be used on a wide variety of third-party platesetters and image setters.

Unlike many popular screening technologies that rely on some form of FM screening algorithms, Highline Screens use high definition AM screening technology.

With these new algorithms, it is possible to produce very high screen rulings at lower output resolutions than traditionally required.

For example, a 423lpi screen can be created at 2400dpi resolution.

By using Intellicurve, Flexrip's intelligent digital dot gain engine, even the smallest Highline dot percentages will hold stably on plates and presses, while avoiding side effects typically associated with stochastic screening - such as higher dot gain or possible retraining of press operators.

Throughout Esko-Graphics' test sites, none of the press operators were informed that they were using a new screening technology.

They simply followed their normal procedures.

As a member of the Esko-Graphics pre-calculated screening product family, Highline Screens are protected against moire.

To avoid any form of object moire, the screens are offered with a more flexible, extended set of angle combinations.

Alongside the standard set of offset angles, the new screens are offered with 30-degree and 60-degree angle sets.

Esko also claims that the screens can be combined on the same page with other screening technologies to assure exceptional print quality along with flexibility to apply different screening to different parts of the same job.

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