Photopolymer plate problems - help!

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could help me with some advice RE photopolymer plates? I have the Cooksons kit and have been following the instructions but I'm finding it incredibly hard to brush away the 'soft' parts and the edges aren't clean and sharp at all. Does anyone have any advice? Would it make a difference to change the time it's under the UV lamp? Are the gel packs I've seen any better than the plates? I would like to be able to do images such as paw prints and text. Thanks in advance!

If you were to type 'photopolymer' into the search field at the top right, the cogs would whirr in the background and a number of related posts would show. There seem to have been a few on this topic recently.

Whilst I haven't yet had the pleasure of the photopolymer plate, whilst researching previous posts I have had the dubious honour of watching a couple of youtube videos on the topic. The fact that the exposure to the UV lamp is timed, suggests to me that yes, it probably would make a difference, maybe critically. Hopefully one of the previous posters have found a successful resolution to their problems and can provide you with some bespoke guidance.

As metalsmith says, there is loads of info on this in the search - some quite recent. However . . . . . . .

If you're finding it too hard to brush away the soft parts of the plate (ie: No image or shallow image), it sounds like you're exposing it to the UV or too long and you need to cut down the exposure time.
Every UV box is different, so using other peoples timings often doesn't work.
Try making up a small design and expose for 30 seconds, then another at 35, 40, etc, using a timer to be exact.

You also need to ensure that your original transparency image is completely solid black - hold it up to a light to check.
Always keep your plates wrapped up and not exposed to daylight for too long or you'll spoil the whole plate.

Text is always a pain in the backside anyway. Lines have to usually be a minimum of 1mm before they'll give you a nice impression on the plate.
Hope that helps :) x

Hi there, thank you! Yes, I'm hoping someone can help, if not I'll have to do a batch of different times I think and see how it affects things!

Hi Lucia, thank you. Yes I think I'll have to do a batch with different timings. I think you might be right about how black it looks - I've used the permanent pen provided in the kit as per the instructions, but it does look patchy when I hold it to the light. I'll have a bit more of an experiment!

I'm not sure how the set you've got works.
We print our images out onto OHP's using a laser printer, but I know you can use inkjet printers too if you use the right transparencies.
We print using "best" or "photo" quality. I'd imagine it would be tricky getting the definition with a pen.

For hand prints, footprints, paw prints and such like, try to remember not to make any of the fine details too small, or they won't come out on your plate, or they'll just peel off when you wash out the plate.
Good luck :) x