Quick Overview

Large open areas need to be screened to support the ink cup or doctor blade so that it doesn't dip into the image during the doctoring stroke. The screen exposure is a second exposure which, once developed, results in a fine pattern of dots or "bumps" in the bottom of the etch. In addition to support, these dots help provide resistance to ink flow when the pad compresses to pick the image up, preventing the ink from forming a wave that results in an inconsistent ink film.