How to Work Out Square Inches of a Printing Plate
Printing plates are used in a variety of methods to create multiple copies of an image. The various techniques employ different methods to create a copy. Lithographs treat the printing plate so that the ink used on the plate will be repelled from certain sections of the plate. Engraving plates have sections of the plate carved out. The ink only applies to the uncarved portions of the plate, which is transferred to the paper. The area of a printing plate is determined in the same manner for any printing plate. This area is important for determining the square inches of paper or other print medium that will be needed to copy the printing plate image.
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Instructions
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Measure the length of the printing plate using the ruler. This length should be measured in inches.
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2
Measure the width of the printing plate.
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Convert any fractional inches into a decimal for the length and width. For example, a plate that measured 5-1/2 inches by 3-1/4 inches should be converted to 5.5 inches by 3.25 inches.
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Multiply the decimal length and width measurements of the printing plate together. This gives the surface area of the printing plate in square inches.
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Tips & Warnings
Most printing presses introduce a slight amount of slop as they bring the printing plate onto a page. The paper should usually be sized slightly larger than the printing plate to accommodate this error. Part of the image will sometimes be printed off the edge of the page if the printing plate and paper are exactly the same size.
