Recently, FM (Frequency Modulation) screening technology is remarkably attractive along with the spread of CTP (Computer to Plate) system. FM screening is an old screening technology developed by Gerhard Fischer from Germany in 1984. It was announced respectively by the brand name of " Diamond Screening " by Linotype–Hell Co. and " Crystal Raster " by Agfa–Gevaert Co. in 1993. After that they were also introduced as new screening technology by the two companies in Japan. Because it was necessary to reproduce a minute microdot on the printing plate in FM screening accurately, it was very difficult to reproduce by the conventional film⁄PS plate process. However, the output of an accuracy, steady plate became possible by development of CTP system, and FM screening technology was back to life as a new technology. Followings are the features on FM screen.
· The moire is not generated.
· Color gamut (reproduction region of the color) extends.
· The consumption of ink can be reduced.
Because it has the feature which makes up for the fault of the AM screening, FM screening is expected as the tool to make big improvements in the print quality. FM screening will become the big power for the universalization of the fine printing though taking the place of the AM screen with its history of the 150 years. And it is a target for the future.

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This report expresses the current problems and approaches with FM screen print. Today, FM screen print is not that special anymore. It can be operated enough as in real work if working on appropriate states of the equipments and the materials. The introduction of CTP has meant that high definition FM screening is now regarded as a practical and realistic solution for high quality printing. Specifically, FM screening allows commercial printers to eliminate moire provide more detailed color reproduction, print with more than 4 colors, and reduce ink consumption on-press. However, FM screening is not always simple and easy to implement, and many printers experience problems in adopting this technology. This is because FM screening requires the parameters associated with printing, like press conditions, plate quality, ink⁄water balance and stable plate processing conditions to be very tightly controlled. In order to meet the requirements for the practical implementation of printing with FM screening, Fujifilm has now developed a new generation FM screening solution called " TAFFETA " . This solution overcomes the difficulties associated with current FM screening technologies by incorporating Fujifilm′s highly sophisticated digital imaging technology called "Image Intelligence™".

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It has been over ten years since FM screening came out in the market as digital screening, being freed from the technical limit caused by the contact-screen method. In the meantime, CTP (Computer to Plate) has been widely prevalent and FM screening algorithms have made progress in terms of print ability and image quality. At the same time, the situations concerning the printing industry have changed with the demand of cost cutting, small lot production, and environmental issues. We proactively consider FM screening as the basic technology for overcoming the difficulty of these situations, and also consider that understanding the merits and demerits of FM screening is essential for using this brand-new screening method effectively. For a special review about FM screening issues, this article provide a wide range of discussions on its various merits and demerits from the standpoint of a user. We hope some users can find useful tips, and that software or hardware vendors would develop new ideas from this article.

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Thermal CTP and FM Screening are expected to become widely used with digitalization in printing industry. Thin ink layer on a printing plate, one of the major characteristics of FM Screening, strongly influences the behavior of printing ink in printing process, which is half as thick as that with AM Screening. The difficulties on the development of the printing ink for FM Screening printing are as follows.
1) Reproducibility of minimum dot (Dot gain control with high density)
2) Minimization of blanket piling
3) Minimization of Ghost
4) Minimization of ink feed back caused by over emulsification
5) Balance between ink stability on press and drying
To overcome these hurdles, the ink needs to be designed with good stability on press and water fighting property. For the widespread use of FM Screening in the future, total printing process must be managed well. In other words, there must be an accurate " standardization in printing process. "

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Fountain solution is the most important elemental material for the lithographic printing. Recently isopropyl alcohol substituted concentrates are widely used for environmental regulations. In printing fields, FM screen techniques are getting attention as CTP technologies evolute. In this review, followings are described i) history of fountain solution ii) suitable fountain solution for FM screen iii) future of fountain solution.

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In recent years, many color printers using electrophotography technology have been commercialized in the printing market. However, for electrophotography, the correlation between print gloss and paper gloss is inferior to the offset printing. Therefore, it is desired that print gloss changes in accordance with paper gloss to make prints look natural for these printers in the market. This study is intended to clarify gloss development mechanisms in offset printing in comparison with electrophotography technology. About mechanisms of gloss development in offset printing for matte-coated paper, the following experimental results were obtained. In offset printing for matte-coated paper, printed surface topography is greatly influenced by paper surface topography. This relationship can be interpreted through the following processes topographical compliance. When an ink transfers to paper, topographical unevenness of the printed surface is caused by inhomogeneous ink layer split. The level of the topographical unevenness becomes low for initial several tens of seconds, and the printed surface becomes smoother than the paper surface. For another several hundreds of seconds, roughness of the printed surface continues to approach that of the paper surface while the ink layer contracts by vehicle penetration into paper.

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