What is Clear Polyester Montage Film?
This clear film, traditionally known in the graphic arts as montage film or Astralon, is a thin transparent material used for registration, artwork assembly and the preparation of positives.
This particular material is a clear polyester film with antistatic treatment on both sides, high dimensional stability and excellent clarity, making it especially suitable for graphic montage and registration work.
At 100 microns thick, it provides a useful balance between flexibility, durability and easy handling.
Registration Film for Screen Printing
One of its main applications is multi-colour registration in screen printing.
The clear sheet can be placed on the printing table and used to receive a test print. Because the film is transparent, the printed image can then be used as a visual reference for positioning the paper, textile or other final substrate and accurately aligning subsequent colours.
This simple registration method is useful in professional workshops as well as small-scale and manual screen printing setups.
When water-based inks are used and the sheet is cleaned appropriately, it can often be reused for subsequent registration work.
Creating Hand-Drawn Films and Positives
The transparent surface can also be used to create hand-drawn positives for screen printing and other photomechanical processes.
Artwork can be drawn directly onto the film using sufficiently opaque markers and drawing materials capable of blocking the exposure light.
The film is also particularly useful for graphic montage, allowing separate drawings, images, halftones and sections of other positives to be positioned and combined into a final piece of artwork.
This approach remains useful for experimental and fine-art processes including screen printing, photogravure, photopolymer, letterpress, cyanotype and other photosensitive techniques.
Applications in Graphic Arts and Photomechanical Processes
Beyond screen printing, clear polyester film can be used to prepare artwork and montages for offset printing, photogravure, photopolymer, letterpress, cyanotype, alternative photographic processes and other photosensitive printing techniques.
Its combination of transparency and low thickness also makes it useful for transparent drawing, collage, composition and other creative applications.
Technical Characteristics
- 100 micron clear polyester film
- Antistatic treatment on both sides
- Excellent clarity
- High dimensional stability
- Flexible and easy to handle
- Suitable for graphic montage, registration and positive preparation
Available Sizes
Available in:
Both dimensions are standard 100-micron sheet sizes listed by the manufacturer.
Other sizes may be available on request.
Related Materials for Making Positives
For hand-drawn screen printing positives, the film can be used with Kuretake opaque inactinics pen markers, Posca markers and other opaque drawing materials such as Lascaux Tusche.
For digitally printed positives, we recommend using a film specifically coated for the relevant printing technology: laser film for positives or Inkjet film for screen printing positives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Astralon the same as acetate film?
The term Astralon or acetate is commonly used in graphic arts for this type of clear montage material. Technically, this particular product is made from clear polyester film.
Is the film antistatic?
Yes. The polyester film has antistatic treatment on both sides, according to the manufacturer's technical specification.
Can I use it for multi-colour screen printing registration?
Yes. Its transparency makes it particularly useful for test printing and visually aligning the position of different colours before printing onto the final substrate.
Can I make hand-drawn screen printing positives with it?
Yes. Opaque, light-blocking markers and suitable drawing materials can be applied to the transparent surface to create manual positives.
Can I print digital positives onto it with an Inkjet or laser printer?
This film is primarily intended for registration, graphic montage and manually prepared positives. For digitally printed films, we recommend using film specifically coated for either Inkjet or laser printing.
Can the registration film be reused?
Yes. When used for registration, particularly with water-based inks, the sheet can be cleaned and reused provided that its surface remains in good condition.
