This is what happens in one of our workshops
1. Create a digital image and manipulate it in photoshop; the file should have high-resolution and strong contrast. It’s wise to add an adjustment Curve to the file to compensate for any detail that may be lost in the plate-making process.
Print the file on to high-quality transparency film.
We can do this for you if you don’t have the equipment
3. Gently sponge the exposed plate in tepid water. Rinse, then dry on newsprint and use a hairdryer for a few minutes to dry it further. If you have a drying cabinet, pop it in there for 10 minutes.
Expose the plate in the UV light box for between five to 10 minutes to cure it. The relatively soft surface of the place is hardened like glass and is ready to ink.
2. Using a UV light box, expose the plate that will hold the image to an aquatint screen - an acetate sheet printed with a dense array of dots that creates needlelike structures in the surface of the plate to enable areas of black in the image on the plate to hold ink.
When finished, dust the half-exposed plate with talc to prevent moisture spoiling it. Expose the plate to the film transparency for a short length of time.
4. Warm the plate and spread ink across it using a flexible scraper.
Use a circular motion with scrim to force the ink into the fine grooves. Use a finer grade of scrim to polish the plate.
Clean the sides of the plate to remove any ink.
Your plate is ready to be printed on dampened paper.