Many of the brands you see on supermarket shelves opt for the versatility of modern flexographic printing to meet their packaging printing needs. Flexographic – flexo – printing can be used on corrugated board, paper and plastic film, to name just a few options.
Before pressing go on a flexo print run, sound flexo prepress solutions and technology are essential for flexo plate production and securing a good quality of print. In this article, you’ll find a definition of flexographic printing and a summary of the advantages it offers. You’ll also discover how flexo prepress solutions support colour management, image retouching and printing plate production to achieve high-quality packaging.
What is flexographic printing?
Flexo printing is an increasingly popular relief printing method suitable for packaging like flexible packaging, corrugated board and labels. In flexo printing, prepress technicians create a flexible plate for each colour featured on the packaging design. The printer then mounts the corresponding plate around the printing cylinder and installs it into the flexo printing press.
Flexo printing presses are set up in a chosen colour sequence with a station for each colour. A rotating anilox roller applies ink onto the raised relief image on the polymer flexo plate which then transfers it onto the chosen material, known as the substrate.
The role of flexo prepress solutions
To enjoy the cost, time and quality benefits flexo printing offers, brand owners need to implement smart flexo prepress solutions to stay on top of their packaging quality.
As with any printing method, prepress management workflows clear the way to a successful print run by checking files and manipulating them to look their best when printed, attracting customers and meeting rtoegulatory requirements.
The flexo prepress-to-printing process is typically quicker than standard printing, so mistakes must be rooted out quickly to prevent wastage. Flexo prepress workflows check, track and correct graphic design files for printing before the printing stage.
Key components of flexo prepress solutions
Smart flexo prepress solutions offer several fundamental components to secure packaging accuracy, quality and colour consistency – from enhancing the graphic files to producing printing plates. Here are a few of the typical functionalities modern flexo prepress solutions offer :
Plate imaging systems (photopolymer printing plates)
Computer-to-plate technology interacts with modern imaging systems to deliver the precision required to produce flexographic printing plates.
- Computer-to-plate smart technology handles plate production once files have been checked and optimised.
- The plate is back exposed after checking for imperfections like creases or dents that may affect the print quality.
- The plate is then loaded into a digital imager which lasers the design into the plate.
- The plate then is main exposed and washed to obtain the raised printing elements.
- Post Curing with UVA and UVC light finishes the process.
- The plate is trimmed and wrapped around the printing cylinder ready to be mounted onto the printing press.
Advanced colour management tools
Achieving bright, consistent colours is one of the compelling reasons for choosing flexo printing for packaging. Given the influence of colour consistency on brand perception, flexo’s ability to faithfully render colours on many different types of substrates makes it an attractive option.
Colour management tools used during the prepress stage optimise the printed colours so they stand out on the shelves. These specialist colour management software packages ensure that printed versions of an approved design match the graphic design approved on a monitor and that they slot in perfectly with other products in a range. The software is adaptable to both CMYK profiles, spot colours or even ECG (extended colour gamut) colours to give an accurate representation of what the press will produce.
Enhanced image editing software
The skilled use of image manipulation and retouching software for flexo optimises and adapts graphic design files.
Flexo printing prepress operators stay faithful to an approved design but will work on details like minimum dots, highlight breaks, and colour separations. Image editing tools also mean any images previously formatted for offset printing can be adapted for the flexo process for example.
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Nevertheless, having good software is not enough! Prepress operators also adjust reprography to the texture and printing medium, taking into account the printer's press, printing settings and limitations. Packaging reprography is a highly technical expertise.
Benefits and advantages of flexo prepress solutions
The effective prepress solutions available on the flexographic market enhance the quality of your packaging items and secure brand consistency. Let’s consider these in a bit more detail :
Packaging quality and consistency
The role of prepress is to refine and adapt graphic files before printing to achieve the best possible packaging quality. Flexo prepress helps make sense of the almost endless combinations of colours and substrates to :
- Precisely adapt colour intensity and match for brand identity
- Sharpen and brighten images and graphic elements
- Reduce waste by producing perfect print-ready files
The perfect combination of printing flexibility on various substrates and printing speed
To visualise this more easily, here’s a table comparing different printing methods used in the packaging industry.
| Printing method | Printing speed | Cost of printing plates | Time needed to prepare proofs and plates | Substrate | Advantages | Packaging examples |
| Flexo | Fast 150-600 metres per minute |
Moderate to high | Fast to moderate | Paper, corrugated board,plastic, film | Fast and suitable for a wide variety of substrates. | Plastic food bags, corrugated boxes, labels. |
| Offset | Medium-Fast 30-150 metres per minute |
Moderate to high |
Moderate | Paper, solid board, metal, plastic | High-quality printing for excellent packaging quality. | Folded boxes, solid board, packaging, |
| Digital | Variable 50-150 metres per minute |
None |
Fast | Paper, corrugated board, plastic film | Flexible for smaller quantities, can avoid printing plate production costs. | Custom labels, packaging for artisanal products. |
| Heliogravure | Fast 20-1000 m/min |
High | Long | Paper, plastic |
Reproduces detail well, often used for premium packaging items. | Flexible packaging, luxury packaging, high-end labels. |
| Screen printing | Variable 10-100 metres per minute |
Moderate to high | Moderate | Glass, plastic, metal, fabric |
Versatile, often used for special packaging, costs are dependent on the complexity of the project. | Plastic bottles, 3D items, special packaging. |
Please note that these are guideline figures and that speeds can vary depending on the characteristics of each print run, product characteristics and the nature of the design files. Hybrid technologies are also available.
Flexo printing offers brand owners a versatile, quick and profitable printing method.
Most brand owners looking for moderately-priced, quickly-produced, quality packaging will choose flexo – working with well-regarded prepress experts for the most reliable packaging prepress service.
In conclusion, prepress plays a vital role in flexo because the speed of printing means any mistakes that slip through can result in substantial amounts of wasted material and expense.
The packaging industry is characterised by shorter and shorter deadlines, and increasingly complex designs. With its integrated multi-process prepress, Miller Graphics provides packaging design solutions for clients on both regular and fit for purpose projects.
Here’s Miller Graphics described in three words, according to Myriam Fantaccione, Brand Manager at Findus :
- Responsive : Miller Graphics respond quickly when there are urgent projects to be done
- Understandable : I’ve learned technical aspects that have helped me
- Reliable : outputs rarely need to be redone
Book a call with one of our packaging experts to identify ways to optimise your packaging.
