We offer Staccato™ printing developed by Kodak. Staccato™ printing is a form of Frequency Modulated (FM) screening that uses random microdots of similar size. It is different from AM screening which uses conventional screen angles and dots of different sizes to print.

These calendars were recently printed using Staccato™ (FM) screening. We were supplied with high quality images and using Staccato™ (FM) screening maintained the high quality of the images resulting in an impressive product.

The advantages of Staccato™ printing (FM printing) versus conventional AM printing are numerous:

  1. FM (Staccato™) screening printing is closer to a continuous tone than conventional AM screening; the dots are very small and the size remains constant throughout the process. The image becomes darker as more small dots are added and lighter as dots are removed.
  2. FM (Staccato™) screening shows greater accuracy as the process places dots pseudorandomly instead of their being aligned along fixed screen angles.
  3. The absence of a fixed spacing or direction for the FM microdots eliminates moiré patterns and there is no rosette structure with FM (Staccato™) screening.
  4. Staccato™ screening ensures more vibrant, brighter colours and more consistent printing of colours across the full range of colour.
  5. A wider colour gamut through the whole tonal range can be achieved with FM (Staccato™) screening – as the dots are smaller and have less area around them to reflect light, the ink filters most of the light without the substrate being contaminated.
  6. There is reduced colour variation through the print run with FM (Staccato™) screening. If the dots from one ink shift in relation to dots from another ink, the effect on colour is very small. The smaller dots carry only a limited amount of ink, resulting in better stability if density fluctuates.
  7. If the pictures and text are slightly out of register, it is less noticeable with FM (Staccato) screening and there is little impact on quality. This improves yield and reduces waste.

When magnified, the differences are instantly apparent, particularly in the colour in the iris and the definition in the eye lashes…

 

AM Screen

FM Screen