Registration marks not lining up on film

[Cole]

I'm having this issue that is driving me nuts. My registration marks are not lining up after printing the film. I'm using Photoshop CS4 and printing from layers. I have my registrations marks (3 up top, 3 at the bottom) on their own layer that I just keep visible while printing out each spot color. It's not like I have separate reg marks for each color or anything. The registration marks are custom shapes that I created. Not the stock ones from the print dialogue window. I'm printing out of an Epson 7600 using Accurip Black Pearl.

Has anyone else ever experienced something like this? I don't even know where to begin troubleshooting the issue. No idea if it's a photoshop problem, printer problem, or Accurip problem.

[Frog]

Pics would help.
But even so, first question very basic, are all of the plates laid out in the same orientation,  and run in the same direction?

[mooseman]

Pics would help.
But even so, first question very basic, are all of the plates laid out in the same orientation,  and run in the same direction?

What he said...

[Cole]

Pics would help.
But even so, first question very basic, are all of the plates laid out in the same orientation,  and run in the same direction?

It's not just on press where they aren't lining up, it's on the actual film. When I take the three films and try to stack them/line them up, the marks don't align.

In the pics below, you can see that the top aligns fine, but the bottom is out of registration. I've already printed this job and was able to get the screens registered. All the colors were aligned, but the registration marks were way off from each other.

Hopefully this helps clarify what's going on!

[Frog]

Pics would help.
But even so, first question very basic, are all of the plates laid out in the same orientation,  and run in the same direction?

It's not just on press where they aren't lining up, it's on the actual film. When I take the three films and try to stack them/line them up, the marks don't align.

In the pics below, you can see that the top aligns fine, but the bottom is out of registration. I've already printed this job and was able to get the screens registered. All the colors were aligned, but the registration marks were way off from each other.

Hopefully this helps clarify what's going on!

It doesn't answer my question. Are you laying out all of the films the same way, and priinting them in the same direction?
Most of our printers distort a little, but, consistently.
Rotate a plate 90 degrees, and you could have this problem.

[Cole]

Pics would help.
But even so, first question very basic, are all of the plates laid out in the same orientation,  and run in the same direction?

It's not just on press where they aren't lining up, it's on the actual film. When I take the three films and try to stack them/line them up, the marks don't align.

In the pics below, you can see that the top aligns fine, but the bottom is out of registration. I've already printed this job and was able to get the screens registered. All the colors were aligned, but the registration marks were way off from each other.

Hopefully this helps clarify what's going on!

It doesn't answer my question. Are you laying out all of the films the same way, and priinting them in the same direction?
Most of our printers distort a little, but, consistently.
Rotate a plate 90 degrees, and you could have this problem.

Sorry, I think I'm just a little confused by your question. Yes, I am laying out all the film the same way and printing them in the same direction. What are you referring to when you say "plate"? I hear people use that term for screens, but I don't know if that is what you are referring to.

[Frog]

Yeah, sorry, plate is another graphic art term  for each sep's output. (mixing terms from offset probably)

A general definition of "plate" in the graphic arts: Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction. ... All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction. As To Press. In gravure printing, (recessed areas of plate hold ink), a term used for proofs showing the final position of color images.

[Atownsend]

For what it’s worth some printers will stretch in the feed direction. This only ever happened on our 7900. We ditched it and have ran our 7600 perfectly for years. Sometimes 3-4 Rolls / Month. Never a registration issue with the 7600. What film are you running did you just switch brands? We’re yiu printing  at the beginning or end of a roll? Our 7900 would stretch a lot until it got several feet down the roll... but again I have never seen this on our 7600.

If the actual art lined up perfectly on press,  are you sure the reg marks didn’t get bumped / moved just before output? Are you outputting direct from PS?

[Dottonedan]

My Geuss is on par with what Atownsend said.
Some distortion or grabbing at one side, thus slowing down the output speed at one side (while in transit).  The film is not printing out consistently. So this distort.
Prob just need to clean the rollers and inside. Just a guess tho.

[lancasterprinthouse]

If you’re using Accurip make sure that all of your films are output using the same settings. If one of your films has halftones and you select “lock screens” for halftone settings on that film only but not others, they will not line up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xcelr8hard]

I use to battle this problem too. As others have said, make sure all of your images are facing the same way when they are output. Using sheets (not roll), I would sometimes gang images on one sheet to save film. Some of those images were rotated 90 degrees so they would fit. After time I realized these were the ones that had reg marks that would not line up on the bottom.

Butch

[whitewater]

Its the printer. on our long prints our registration marks on the bottom do not line up sometimes on the films... sometimes we have trouble with the seps on a long print also, with the bottoms not lining up on the art.

[Sbrem]

We had this happen on longer films with some colors not taking up the whole of the image, so the printers skips a bit. Our fix has been to add a 1/4 point line down the outside edge of all films, and they all transport evenly. Just another opinion...

Steve

[blue moon]

We had this happen on longer films with some colors not taking up the whole of the image, so the printers skips a bit. Our fix has been to add a 1/4 point line down the outside edge of all films, and they all transport evenly. Just another opinion...

Steve

if the art is lining up and the reg marks are not, this should be your solution!

pierre

[Cole]

Once again you guys all send me awesome info! Thanks everyone! I'm going to look into the rollers of the printer and see if there is an issue. Also, the roll may be favoring one side and getting hung up on the transport. Hopefully I can figure this out before I go completely crazy.