Stochastic vs. Conventional Line Screen Pros & Cons (Part 3 of 3)

This is my third and last article in this series. In my two previous articles I explained what stochastic printing is, and the responsibilities throughout the production process flow specific to stochastic printing. In this article I will discuss the pitfalls of stochastic printing. As with any specialty application within a pressroom, there are also potential pitfalls that you may face.  Even after proper file and proof preparation, press finger printing and developing the appropriate plate curves, there are still hurdles you need to be prepared for.

The following are just a few of the potential pitfalls of printing stochastic;

• Ink Piling – due to the higher dot gain encountered with Stochastic screening you will experience both plate and blanket ink piling.
• Ink Savings – fact or fiction.  Gray Component Replacement (GCR) will lead to greater ink savings than stochastic screening.
• Reduced Blanket life – a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling.
• Reduced Plate life – a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling.
• Increased Blanket Washes – a direct result of ink piling.
• Paper waste – a direct result of the increased blanket washes.
• Increased Press Maintenance – a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling and the need for proper blanket and roller conditioning.

When not to use stochastic screening

• Poor separations – keep in mind that stochastic screening greatly enhances your separations. Poor separations will only look worse.
• Flesh tones that have not been properly balanced. There is a tendency for poorly color-corrected flesh tones to appear “rashy or choppy.”
• Lack of knowledge by your client, separator and/or printer.

So where do we go from here? Customer and separator education is the most critical step in the process and with proper education, preparation and planning, the results of stochastic screening are well worth the additional work.

• Tags:
• color quality

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