Substrate Options —‘Paper or Plastic?’

It may also make sense to press proof a plastic job. "If you think about what drives cost in this business, the client is spending a lot more for plastic than for paper printing," Barkley says, "so the idea of cost-justifying a proof is more often yes than no."

Although there are still many variables to contend with in plastic printing, plastic manufacturers of plastic substrates have succeeded in bringing some of the processing parameters--gauge, color, finish and dyne, among others--under control. As a result, the quality and consistency of the plastics available to the graphic arts marketplace has steadily improved over time.