Water Stops

A set of plastic or metal tabs, squeegees, or rollers added to the dampening system of a printing press used in offset lithography. The water stops contact the fountain pan roller, the dampening roller that rides in the water pan, the trough containing the fountain solution, and squeeze or scrape a quantity of the fountain solution film from the surface of the roller. The pressure with which each stop contacts the roller can be adjusted, allowing variations in the amount of fountain solution sent through the dampening system, depending on which portions of the plate require more or less solution. (See Dampening System.)

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