Flexographic printing: what is it?
Muhammad Omair
CEO at Box Wala Packaging, Chief Executive Officer at Lucky Trading Co.
If you're in the printing business or are a company trying to design packaging for your goods, you've probably heard the term "flexography" floating around without really knowing what it means.
The flexographic printing press is regarded as the letterpress of the current day since it can print on an enormous variety of surfaces, such as:
Paper, Plastic, Metal, Films
Cellophane Flexographic printing press technology is economical, time-efficient, and provides a flexible array of choices.
Flexo printing yields excellent print quality results without breaking the bank for anything from labels to food packaging.
Let's take a closer look at the flexographic printing press procedure and some practical applications for this printing technology.
The Progress of Flexographic Printing
The use of digital technology in flexography is among its most important developments.
The printing process is now more accurate and efficient thanks to technology, with quicker turnaround times.
High print quality photos with brilliant colors and fine detail can be created with digital photography technology.
Flexography now has more opportunities to print on a larger variety of materials and create intricate designs.
Apart from digital technology, aggrandizements in sustainability have also been high-priority in the development of flexography.
These days, a tract of land of printers use solvent-based and eco-friendly flexographic inscription inks, which are less harmful to the environment.
These inks don't be composed of any hazardous chemicals that could consist of the living conditions because they are manufactured unreservedly of natural components and renewable resources.
The Method of Flexographic Printing
The following are the main procedures in flexographic printing:
The substrate or material of choice will be put on a roll and fed through a number of rotating, flexible relief plates.
One color of ink is fed into each flexible printing plate by a unique roller.
Since each flexible printing plate can be used interchangeably to supply all the colors on the finished printed product, each color will require its own flexible printing plate.
The wonderful thing about flexo printing is that it allows you to include unique finishes in the process, such as:
Printing and these other procedures might be combined to complete the task in a single pass.
Low viscosity flexographic inks are applied to substrates and allowed to settle on their surface before being removed from the substrate.
Although this might appear straightforward, there are really more possibilities for flexographic printing than there are simple ones, making the process more intricate.
Over time, flexographic printing has undergone fast change and evolved to handle a wide range of printing possibilities.
Among the several printing options are the following:
Traditional flexo: This method ensures that color is evenly distributed while in direct contact with a substrate by using doctor blades to remove surplus ink and spread solvent-based inks onto plates.
Enhanced flexo: A more sophisticated take on the classic flexo method, this one makes use of central imprint cylinders to generate sharp images with significantly higher quality. Plus, it's less expensive than conventional flexo!
Benefits of Printing in Flexographic Form
Prints on both retaining and non-absorbent materials. It can typeface images on a penmanship of materials, including plastics, brown papers, acetate films, corrugated boards, textiles, and cellophane. It can also produce high-quality, bright continuous patterns with ease.
Uses a large range of inks: It can apply solvent, water-based, and UV-curable inks, all of which dry extremely quickly, making it time- and environmentally-friendly.
The method is very adaptable: it can print millions of impressions and allow a huge variety of cylinder repeat lengths to meet customer requirements.
Low cost & efficient: The high-speed process and flexographic inks used in the process result in speedier manufacturing, making it more economical than competing alternatives.
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Cons of Generic Flexographic Printing: Unlike offset printing, flexographic printing is not able to produce the same level of detail in artwork.
Expensive supplies & equipment: Since distinct plates are needed for each color, printing plates come at a considerable cost. Wrapping and warping photos comes at an extraordinary cost.
Lack of short-run capabilities: Unlike digital printing, which does not require a set-up procedure, this sort of printing is usually not feasible for small quantities or sample.
The Effects of Flexo Printing on the Environment
Like any other printing methodology, flexography printing has an fulfillment on the environment.
The flexographic printing course of action employs chemicals that may be unpredictable to the environment and public wholesomeness, consumes a lot of energy, and precipitates waste in the form of leaving ink, flexographic printing plates, and packaging accouterments.
Since the procedure uses a lot of water to clean a flexographic printing plate and other equipment, water usage is also an issue.
Nonetheless, there are actions that can be done to reduce flexographic printing's negative environmental effects.
Offset vs. Flexography
Both offset and flexographic printing produce the best results, and the final product frequently has no discernible differences.
It is crucial to comprehend the distinctions between these printing techniques in order to make the best technological choice for your project.
Among the main distinctions between offset and flexographic printing are:
Instead of printing indirectly through a sequence of offset plates, flexography prints on a substrate directly using rotary flexible plates.
With flexography, several functionalities and finishes are integrated into a single pass through, rather than being applied after the offset printing process, such as die-cutting, folding, and lamination.
Only smooth or flat surfaces can be printed on using offset printing; for good results, porous and absorbent materials require additional processes. Flexography, on the other hand, may print on practically any kind of substrate.
While offset printing can be very expensive and time-consuming, flexographic printing can offer tremendous economies of scale by combining multiple processes into a single pass through.
Designing packaging and printing flexographically
Flexography has given us a wide range of capabilities, as was previously said.
Many design factors must be taken into account when using flexographic printing, particularly when creating labels and packaging.
The way your file is prepared and designed may have an impact on how well your final output prints. This holds true for all printing procedures, but when designing, it's crucial to consider these requirements:
Materials for packaging
Although flexographic printing can be done on a variety of substrates, it is advisable to use one that is non-porous in order to guarantee quick drying and curing durations.
Text readability is also impacted by porous materials because ink seeps into the surface.
Using flexible and smooth packing materials will help your packaging convey information clearly.
Ecommerce Boxes are essential for safeguarding items during shipping, optimizing space, and providing an opportunity to reflect a brand’s identity while ensuring customer satisfaction through secure and efficient delivery.
Both text and numerical data
To make information printed onto packing materials, like natural kraft, easier to read, use a font size that makes sense.
The minimum font size for most materials is between 4 and 10 point type.
Even though there is a wide range of sizes available, the type of font you use also affects the size of the typeface.
Remember that serif font types should be slightly larger for legibility, whereas sans serif font types may appear smaller in some situations.
Designs of artwork
The best minimalist designs use blocks of color and call for the fewest flexible rotating plates possible to provide high-quality outcomes.
More intricate patterns may become more expensive since flexographic printing requires separate plates for every color.
Opt for offset printing for intricate patterns, since it proves to be more economical per unit of packaging.