Flexography in Package Printing
April 22, 2010
|
Flexographic printing performance, efficiency, quality, and sustainability continue to improve, says Flexo4All.
During the past 30 years, flexography has been demonstrated to be a printing technology with a very impressive growth in terms of quality and productivity. It passed from low- to high-quality printing and today is widely used for packaging production in different applications: flexible packaging, label and tags, plastic bags, carton board and corrugated, shrink-wrap, etc.
Flexography becomes the standard and today is the main printing technology used in the packaging printing industry in America, as well as in Europe (Central, Western and Eastern). But the technology is not standing still and there are continuous process improvements and innovations that strengthen flexo’s leading packaging printing position. A wide range of industry vendors are taking successful steps to make flexo even more productive, cost effective, sustainable, and printing higher consistent quality. Improvements are seen along the whole production process, from the packaging design to the final product.
Improvements in the platemaking room
In order for the quality of flexo printing to rival other technologies, specially offset, the flexo platemakers (services and printers) can use solutions able to combine high-resolution optics with an exceptional screening output. Devices capable of combining 4,000 dpi HD optics with unique screening technologies deliver the advantage of sharper and more accurate imaging. This combination makes it possible to achieve outstanding print quality with a straightforward plate production process. Just as significant, this technology is very easy to use and there is no longer any need for tweaking or adjustments. Moreover, the rounder dot shape produced thanks to this technology combination, means that they are more stable on press, resulting in longer print runs with the same printing plate—even more than standard digital flexo plates. With longer print runs, the press stops less often for wash-ups, resulting in greater productivity.
HD Flexo also brings significant sustainability benefits as well, as it avoids any manual lamination of the plate. Therefore there is no film to dispose once the plates have been imaged. Moreover, thanks to the use of thermal technology for the processing of the plates, there is no need to use solvents, potentially damaging to the environment. Printers who work with plates generated from HD Flexo typically reduce makeready sheets required to get to acceptable color by 66 percent—resulting in much less waste.
“HD Flexo is a big step in flexo printing,” comments Jef Stoffels, Marketing Manager at EskoArtwork and spokesman for Flexo4All. “It makes life easier for brand owners, print buyers, trade shops and converters. It does not require a significant capital equipment investment as it is just an upgrade of existing and running equipment. Trade shops or converters will benefit from HD Flexo because, with a safe, high-quality process, they can compete with offset or other printing techniques without losing quality or having to adapt prepress specifically for the process.”
During the past 30 years, flexography has been demonstrated to be a printing technology with a very impressive growth in terms of quality and productivity. It passed from low- to high-quality printing and today is widely used for packaging production in different applications: flexible packaging, label and tags, plastic bags, carton board and corrugated, shrink-wrap, etc.
Flexography becomes the standard and today is the main printing technology used in the packaging printing industry in America, as well as in Europe (Central, Western and Eastern). But the technology is not standing still and there are continuous process improvements and innovations that strengthen flexo’s leading packaging printing position. A wide range of industry vendors are taking successful steps to make flexo even more productive, cost effective, sustainable, and printing higher consistent quality. Improvements are seen along the whole production process, from the packaging design to the final product.
Improvements in the platemaking room
In order for the quality of flexo printing to rival other technologies, specially offset, the flexo platemakers (services and printers) can use solutions able to combine high-resolution optics with an exceptional screening output. Devices capable of combining 4,000 dpi HD optics with unique screening technologies deliver the advantage of sharper and more accurate imaging. This combination makes it possible to achieve outstanding print quality with a straightforward plate production process. Just as significant, this technology is very easy to use and there is no longer any need for tweaking or adjustments. Moreover, the rounder dot shape produced thanks to this technology combination, means that they are more stable on press, resulting in longer print runs with the same printing plate—even more than standard digital flexo plates. With longer print runs, the press stops less often for wash-ups, resulting in greater productivity.
HD Flexo also brings significant sustainability benefits as well, as it avoids any manual lamination of the plate. Therefore there is no film to dispose once the plates have been imaged. Moreover, thanks to the use of thermal technology for the processing of the plates, there is no need to use solvents, potentially damaging to the environment. Printers who work with plates generated from HD Flexo typically reduce makeready sheets required to get to acceptable color by 66 percent—resulting in much less waste.
“HD Flexo is a big step in flexo printing,” comments Jef Stoffels, Marketing Manager at EskoArtwork and spokesman for Flexo4All. “It makes life easier for brand owners, print buyers, trade shops and converters. It does not require a significant capital equipment investment as it is just an upgrade of existing and running equipment. Trade shops or converters will benefit from HD Flexo because, with a safe, high-quality process, they can compete with offset or other printing techniques without losing quality or having to adapt prepress specifically for the process.”
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
|
