The magnetic sheet adheres securely to the press bed and will not stretch. By keeping the paper pinned beneath the roller, perfect registration results. As mentioned previously, ferric chloride makes printmaking possible in many more places for many more artists. It etches copper without producing any fumes. A note on copper plates.
Many printmakers are a bit intimidated by the expense of copper plates as compared to zinc.
The plates are protected with a PVC film adhered to both sides. The PVC protects the face of the plate from scratches during shipping and handling and also acts as an etchant resist on the back side. They were manufactured for the offset commercial printing industry and allow digitally imaged plates to be taken directly from the laser printer to the press. As usual, I was interested in the applicability of this technology to fine art printmaking. I began experimenting with the plates and was impressed by their safety, ease of use ,and their printing quality.