A printing problem of offset lithography, characterized by portions of the image areas of the plate flaking off. Plate flaking is primarily a problem of plates utilizing copper-based coatings that harden in the image areas, forming the ink-receptive portion of the plate. Poor adhesion of the copper layer results in a chipping off of the copper, which can result in the chips adhering to the blanket, elsewhere on the plate, or in the ink roller train, which can produce hickeys or other printing defects.
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