Calibrating Your Halftones. Xanté PlateMaker 6

Laser Power

– The power of the imaging laser in the Platemaker can be set from your front panel or the web browser. This value defaults to level 2 and is generally fi ne for most applications. The values range between 0 and

7. The lower the value the lighter the image. Higher values result in darker imaging. This may be a useful tool if you wish to reduce the thickness of your fonts, etc. The default halftone calibrations in your Platemaker are based on a power level 2. You can experiment with different levels, however if you choose a level too low, an “e-scanner” error may occur. This error is temporary and you will need to restart to your Platemaker and adjust your laser power higher. In general the lower the laser power, the better the image quality.

EP1

– EP1 (critical to image quality) is a setting used to compensate for background toning, a characteristic in all electrophotographic devices such as your Platemaker. Devices that use toner to image plates must eliminate stray toner particles that can show up in the white areas of the plate. The higher the EP1 setting of the Platemaker the more stray particles are eliminated.

However, if EP1 is set too high, it can affect your image quality. Your halftones may become inconsistent and your solids may appear “washed out.” Usually, for the best plate output, the EP1 setting should be between

3-7. For lower humidity environments or high altitudes you may need to go to a higher setting. You can experiment with the setting, but lower is always better for image quality and worse for background toning. Once you set the

EP1, you should not have to adjust it unless your environmental conditions change or you replace your imaging unit. If you do change the EP1 settings, your halftone calibrations may need to be adjusted.

You can access the settings for laser power and EP1 in the front panel of the

Platemaker or the web browser using the address shown in the front panel.

Calibrating Your Halftones:

In order to start the calibration of your platemaker access the web browser through your computer.

Enter the URL displayed on the front panel of your platemaker. For example

“10.1.2.138.” Click on the word “Halftoning” and then “Halftone Calibration.”

Halftone Calibration page.

PlateMaker 6 User’s Guide 39