Two leading contributing factors to an etched plate folding up:
- Leaving ink in the inkcup over an extended break. Whether 8 hours, 16 hours or longer. The ink will begin to dry where it comes in contact with the outside environment. It tends to “glue” the inkcup to the surface of the cliché. If care is not taken to rotate the inkcup, manually, to break this seal and clean the residue … time to get your Polka on.
- Missing fasteners. Customer’s sometimes cut corners with making sure the cliché is firmly secured to the cliché support. If the appropriate restraints are not in place (e.g.: thumbscrews, socket head cap screws, pin screws) … roll out the barrels!