Emma Schlotthauer, Chief Marketing Officer at
Miraclon, comments: “For brands who rely more than ever on the power of
packaging to connect with customers, brand consistency and eye-catching
flexible packaging is increasingly important. Printers need solutions that help
them meet the ever-expanding demands of graphic reproduction, without needing
to operate at less than optimum production speeds or risking press downtime
from continual adjustments and unscheduled stoppages. A wide print latitude is
the key to profitable production. PureFlexo Printing addresses a core technical
issue – unwanted ink spread – which helps to widen print latitude and reset the
quality-efficiency balance.”
Print
latitude, unwanted ink spread and why printers should address it
Printers get the best out of their press machinery
when they have the flexibility to run uninterrupted. They need wide latitude
(also referred to as the operating window) and a robust process to manage
production efficiently as a narrow latitude means small changes can push a
print run out of acceptable quality or tolerances. By resisting unwanted ink
spread, PureFlexo Printing gives printers the power to keep the press running
with a low risk of getting to unacceptable print.
Dr John Anderson, Director of Advanced Print
Applications at Miraclon, explains how unwanted ink spread affects print
latitude: “Ink that flows easily is a natural characteristic of printing with
solvent flexo inks on film. When that ink flows in unwanted places it can fill
in, cause bridging and build-up, creating ‘dirty print’. It’s not always easy
to manage and is often made worse by practices designed to address other print
issues – such as the use of harder tapes, higher ink volumes and
over-impression. PureFlexo Printing addresses the issue head-on by using
sophisticated plate surface patterning to resist and control ink spread, and
sets a new standard for clean, predictable print.”
Schlotthauer adds that PureFlexo Printing and the
reduction of unwanted ink spread has major financial benefits for both printers
and pre-press providers: “For example, if an unscheduled press stop to clean
plates takes about 10 minutes, and with a typical billable press rate of around
$700/hour you can easily start doing the math about the financial benefits in
eliminating some of these stops. Add in the reduction of waste material and
post-print capacity implications, and the need to address unwanted ink spread
proves to be a particularly significant one.”
PureFlexo
Printing – resetting the quality-efficiency balance for flexo printers
Built on Miraclon’s expertise in highly controlled
ink transfer mechanisms and further unlocking the core capabilities of the Flexcel
NX System, PureFlexo Printing gives unprecedented control over unwanted ink
spread, increasing print latitude at all quality levels. This extension of
Miraclon’s knowledge in Advanced Plate Surface Patterning Technology, which has
had over two years of testing in the field on over 20,000 commercial jobs,
proves to:
- Reduce unscheduled press stops due to dirty print
- Deliver more predictable color
- Decrease press-to-proof match issues
- Lower the impact of operator and other production changes
“With lower dot gain and significantly reduced ink
build-up during a run, PureFlexo Printing not only brings a more predictable
match to a press color profile, it also reduces the need to stop the press to
clean plates,” adds Dr Anderson. “This results in much greater production efficiencies
while producing a high-quality result. The complete prepress and printing
process becomes more efficient.”
The benefits
of PureFlexo Printing are felt throughout the value chain:
Printers report that greater resistance to common
production issues means that challenging work can now be produced more
consistently and with greater uptime. Notably, FLEXCEL NX Plates with PureFlexo
Printing can typically use a softer mounting tape without compromising image
reproduction. This helps reduce voids and the need to over-impress – further
increasing plate life.
Prepress providers can break the cycle of chasing
color, retouching and remaking plates. Trade shops that have tested the
technology report a significant reduction in image retouching and file
preparation prior to proof due to a more linear response, and a more accurate
press to proof match – reducing the need for client press approvals.
Continuous
Innovation
PureFlexo Printing, utilizing newly patented
Miraclon technology created by the same R&D team responsible for the
invention of the original Flexcel NX System launched in 2008, builds on the
innovation that Miraclon has brought to the market over the past 13 years.
“The launch of our core Flexcel NX Technology in
2008 helped to elevate flexo printing to compete head-on with other printing
processes and addressed the inconsistencies traditionally associated with
flexo,” says Schlotthauer as she puts Miraclon’s rich heritage of innovation
into perspective. “Since then, we have continued the journey; building our
knowledge in mechanisms to control ink transfer with a range of award-winning
technology; first with the introduction of Kodak Digicap NX Patterning in 2010,
and the subsequent introduction of our Advanced Digicap NX Patterning (commonly
referred to as NX Advantage) with Advanced Edge Definition technology in 2016.
PureFlexo Printing is the next step in unlocking the full potential of the Flexcel
NX System, enabling flexible packaging printers to lead the charge in pushing
the boundaries of flexo printing within a controlled, sustainable manufacturing
environment.”
PureFlexo Printing is available immediately to all Flexcel
NX System users through the Kodak Flexcel NX Print Suite for Flexible
Packaging.
