Flexo4all

PARTNERS
- Bobst
- Comexi
- DuPont
- EskoArtwork
- Fischer & Krecke
- Lohmann Adhesive Tapes
- Omet
- Praxair Surface Technologies
- Siegwerk
- Soma
- Tesa
- Windmöller & Hölscher

PRESS CUTTING

Printing Tecnology
Which technologies are used in packaging?

There are four major printing technologies used today, of which three are used in packaging - Offset Lithography, Rotogravure, and Flexography - as shown below:

Offset is used primarily for printing oil-based ink on plain, hard surfaces (such as paper, folding carton, etc). An aluminum printing plate with no relief is used.

Rotogravure uses liquid ink for printing flexible substrates mainly with very long production
runs, using metal cylinder.

Flexography is the newest process for packaging. In general it uses a flexible photopolymer printing plate that carries the printing image in relief. The ink delivery system for flexography is achieved via an "anilox" engraved transfer roll. It has developed rapidly in the last 20 years - from a low quality process to the high-end graphics intensive process we know today. This advancement was achieved through press and photopolymer printing plate improvements like introduction of digitally imaged plates, together with parallel improvements in inks and anilox systems.

Advantages of Flexography
Where are the real benefits?

The rapidly growing market share of flexo demonstrates its fit and alignment with the changing requirements in the packaging market. For example, runs are getting shorter, demand for graphics is increasing, quality increases, environmental and legislative constraints are becoming more important - along with the pressure on cost.

The prime advantages that flexography offers versus other printing methods for packaging can be summarized as follows:

Flexo can be used on many types of substrates, smooth and rough surfaces, with both absorbing and non-absorbing properties
It can print short runs cost effectively
Fast, accurate printing at speeds of 500 m/min (5,000 ft/min) or more
Can be used with a wide variety of inks, including water-based, solvent-based and solvent free inks
Relief printing plates have very long run length capabilities of up to several million impressions
Flexo presses can print with variable print repeat lengths, as well as seamless designs
Extensible, stretchable films can be printed without loss of registration
In-line operation allows printing, die cutting and finishing in one continuous process

In addition, the capital investment for presses and operational costs are often substantially lower for flexographic presses versus offset and gravure. As the flexo process is ideally suited for shorter runs and because changeover and make-ready times are shorter, package buyers in globalized markets are turning to flexography as the preferred method to print their global brands in various locations.