Flexographic printing Flexographic printing has become the most widely used printing technology in the label printing industry today and offers an optimal combination of quality, productivity and flexibility. But what is flexographic printing and how does it work? I explain this printing technique in our operator and engineering courses. This blog will give you a little introduction to flexographic printing and hopefully help you make a more confident decision about which printing method is best for your business.
A brief introduction: Flexographic printing is not a new technology, but it has advanced significantly with numerous innovations. These developments still make it one of the most reliable ways to produce large orders of high quality custom labels at high speed.
New call-to-action: Flexographic printing is a technique that uses a flexible printing plate. In the past, these printing plates were made of rubber; today companies use flexible photopolymer printing plates. The panels are wrapped around cylinders on a roller press. The colored plates have a raised image and rotate at high speed in order to transfer the color through small holes from the anilox roller to the substrate; each color requires a different printing plate. With the development of anilox rollers, printing plates, inks and printing machines, among other things, you can print images with a high number of lines in flexographic printing. Flexo printing is unique because it adapts well to different materials (like our own EF multisubstrate flexo printing machine that prints on thin film, paper, cardboard, shrink sleeves, inmould, lamitube and flexible packaging) and uses a wider range of inks can, including waterbased inks and UV inks. Because this type of printing is durable and adaptable, it can be printed on almost any substrate such as plastic, metal, and paper.
The pros and cons of flexographic printing: I explained what flexographic printing is, but what are its advantages and disadvantages? These are often essential parameters in your decision-making process.
The advantages of flexographic printing:
Runs at extremely high speeds and is ideal for long print runs Prints on a wide variety of substrates Short set-up times with minimal waste; guarantees a high quality output Eliminates additional work and costs: printing, painting, lamination and die-cutting can be done in one go A relatively simple and controlled printing process that requires less trained operators to get the output you want Low equipment and maintenance costs
The disadvantages of flexographic printing:
Flexographic plates are reasonably priced compared to other types of plates, but they will hold millions of prints if properly cared for. Version changes are time consuming
Flexographic printing is the most widely used technique for good reason. I hope this blog has helped you get a clear picture of what flexographic printing is and how it could help you become more viable. At biotech we are in regular contact with customers to understand their evolving printing technology requirements and to develop innovative solutions to improve the printing process and customer experience.