RELIEF PRINTING
FLEXOGRAPHY Flexography or “flexo” is a form of relief printing that uses a flexible relief plate. It is sometimes called a modern version of letterpress. It is fast at 2000 ft. per minute on smooth surfaces and can be profitable even on short runs. The process was patented at the end of the 19th century and the print quality was quite poor until the development of the anilox roller, which controls the amount of ink that is applied to the printing plate.
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Flexography can be used to print on almost any substrate; plastic, metallic films, cellophane and papers.
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Long make-ready times make it most suitable
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The anilox roller meters the amount of ink
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Flexo is used for labels, wallpaper, folding
for large volume printing.
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It is good for printing continuous patterns on a
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You can print 10 or more colors, including
cartons, plastic bags, gift wrap and packaging,
metallic and fluorescent inks.
especially on flexible materials.
roll like wrapping paper and tissue.
Above shows the CMYK printing plates transferring ink toa flexible
applied to the printing plate for better quality.
PHOTO BY MORENO SOPPELSA
packaging substrate.
PRINT TECHNOLOGY
FLEXOGRAPHY
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