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Gradient Screen vs. True Prismatic Blend
What is the Difference?
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When printing check stock on a
press, in order to make the checks attractive
and hinder photocopying, it is very common to
print a two color pantograph (check background)
with one color gradually giving way to the next.
There are two different printing methods used
to generate a two color pantograph: |
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Gradient Screen:
A Gradient Screen uses two separate plates, and
therefore two print towers on the press. This
makes it easier for the pressman to make the
finished product consistent, even on subsequent
runs, as the two colors are being printed
separately rather than blending together as in a
True Prismatic. |
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True Prismatic:
This method uses just one plate and one tower
for both colors. A special dam is installed in
the ink well that separates the two colors, and
when they are applied to the paper the colors
blend together, creating a very seamless
transition from one color to the next. It is
more difficult to keep the finished product
consistent when using this method, as the
blending of the ink can vary from job to job,
and even from the beginning of a job to the
end. However, the True Prismatic can be very
useful when the number of print towers on the
press doesn’t allow for a Gradient Screen. For
example, if the check is to have a red and blue
pantograph and thermochromic ink on the face,
plus a gray backer with an artificial watermark,
you are dealing with 5 different inks (red,
blue, thermochromic, gray, and opaque white for
the watermark). If a four color (four tower)
press is all that is available, this check
cannot be printed with a Gradient Screen,
because the number of inks exceeds the number of
available print towers. Using a true Prismatic,
however, the pressman can combine the red and
the blue into one tower, making it possible to
print a 5 color check on a four color press. |
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So, although
the two methods are quite different, both
achieve the same end result:
a more colorful and attractive document that is
difficult to accurately photocopy. |
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Corporate Headquarters
100 Main Street, Ste 222 - Dover, NH 03820
Tel: (800) 777-7359 - (603) 742-0999 - Fax: (603) 742-9993 |
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