AS MUCH AS INKS WE MANUFACTURE ADDS VALUE TO THE PRODUCT , PRINTING  THE RIGHT WAY CAN NEVER GO WRONG!!!!

FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING

What is Flexographic Printing?

Flexography is a type of a rotary in-line printing method. Derived from the Latin word “Flexus”, literally translated as “bending”, flexo printing is used to print on any flexible material. These flexible materials can vary from plastics, paper, metallic films to cellophane. Printing variable repeat lengths, using a broad range of inks and a wide variety of substrates is possible with flexo printing.

What can we print using Flexographic Printing Press?

It is challenging to imagine a day without crossing flexographic printing products. Around you, you will find many products, be it grocery or office-supplies, which are packaged with flexo printing. Some of the examples of flexographic printing products are:

  • Business forms;
  • Packaging for food and drinking products;
  • Flexible Packaging;
  • Labels;
  • Envelopes;
  • Wallpaper;
  • Gift wrapping paper;
  • Newspapers;
  • Textiles;
  • Folding carton;
  • Foil, etc.
Read More

ROTOGRAVURE PRINTING

What is Rotogravure Printing?

The rotogravure printing process is a direct transfer method for printing onto wood-pulp fiber based, synthetic, or laminated substrates and other substrates.

The modern day rotogravure printing press uses a printing cylinder which has been laser engraved with minute cells capable of retaining ink, the size and pattern of which reflect the required image. These cells are forced to transfer their ink directly onto the substrate by a combination of pressure and capillary action, so producing the printed image.

The process, also commonly called gravure printing, is used in the manufacturing of food and non-food packaging, as well as labels, wall coverings, transfer printing, and has a variety of further applications in the security printing, industrial, and tobacco segments of industry.

What can we print using Rotogravure Printing Press?

Just as  flexographic printing press is used to print vast variety of different substrates, similarly rotogravure can be used to print on:

  • Films such as polyester, OPP, nylon, and PE
  • Publication printing (magazines, newspapers, catalogs)
  • Packaging printing, where printing on a variety of substrates is needed.
  • Gravure is also used to print laminates, gift wrap, wallpaper, postage stamps, and the text on candies and pills, among other things.
  • Publication printing: Very thin paper, coated paper
  • Packaging printing: Papers, Cardboard, plastic film, aluminum foil, laminates, vinyl, non-porous materials
Read More

OFFSET PRINTING

What is Offset Printing?

Offset printing, also called offset lithography, is a method of mass-production printing in which the images on metal plates are transferred (offset) to rubber blankets or rollers and then to the print media. The print media, usually paper, does not come into direct contact with the metal plates. This prolongs the life of the plates. In addition, the flexible rubber conforms readily to the print media surface, allowing the process to be used effectively on rough-surfaced media such as canvas, cloth or wood. The main advantage of offset printing is its high and consistent image quality. The process can be used for small, medium or high-volume jobs.

What can we print using Offset Printing Press?

There are two types of offset printing machines in common use for publication today:

  • sheet-fed offset printing  where individual pages of paper are fed into the machine. The pages can be pre-cut to the final publication size or trimmed after printing. Sheet-fed offset printing is popular for small and medium-sized fixed jobs such as limited-edition books.
  • web offset printing are, larger, higher-speed machines are used. These are fed with large rolls of paper and the individual pages are separated and trimmed afterwards.  Web offset printing is more cost-effective for high-volume publications whose content changes often, such as metropolitan newspapers.
Read More

Want to minimize ink, substrate and machine operation time ? Check below guidelines.

Temperature & Humidity

Temperature and humidity can have a huge impact on how ink transfers to the substrate. This is especially true with solvent inks. Some printers even run a summer and winter blend of solvents to help control this problem. Inks that are transferring well will lay down a stronger, denser color. Ink that dries too fast can appear grainy and light. If your coverage is poor, the substrate can bleed through and affect the spectrophotometer’s readings. Look at your solid ink patches through a loupe to make sure you have adequate substrate coverage.

Changing the cylinder

Possibly the largest offender of incorrect color is not making adjustments for new anilox or gravure cylinders. A brand new gravure cylinder is going to put down a lot of ink compared to one with millions of feet on it. While a new gravure job might have very strong inks to start with, months later they will begin to fade.

Since the volume on your cylinder plays a key role in how much ink is delivered, formulate your inks to the cylinders in the press and document it to the approved job. The cylinder will put down less ink over time, so closely monitor jobs that run for a long period of time. You may want to consider hanging an anilox cylinder chart to track footage so you know when to send the anilox for reconditioning.

A dirty or plugged anilox

A dirty or plugged anilox will result in a very light color and is a difficult obstacle for an ink tech to overcome. If you’re adding colorant over and over with little to no results, the chances are good that your anilox roller is plugged. For immediate results, try swapping out the anilox or soda blasting the roller.

Viscosity

Viscosity can be tough to monitor in flexo and gravure printing because it can change quickly. Although many modern presses have automatic systems that monitor viscosity, they can malfunction or be accidentally shut off. If your color gets dramatically stronger, there’s a good chance the viscosity has risen. Keep in mind, ink will lose a few seconds of viscosity when first put into the press. This occurs from the shear of the fountain circulation since ink is a thixotropic liquid.

Once you achieve the approved color, it’s a good idea to record your viscosity.

Impression

Impression is probably the easiest thing to fix. Look at the dot gain and density of the colors you’re printing. If everything is set correctly but you’re still running strong, consider backing off impression a bit. The reverse can be true if you’re too light. You may also see mottling. These uneven patterns can cause erratic readings. Try adjusting impression, opacity, or ink vehicle to smooth out inconsistencies.

Dot gain and density

Process printing can be tricky because your density levels can all be in the correct range, but one process color is still too strong. If the dot gain is too high, the press operator might be able to back off the offending process color just enough to correct the overall print. Density and dot gain work together, and both can be checked using the eXact densitometer tool.

Plate and blanket durometer

A really old photopolymer printing plate can develop hardness over time. This will result in a poor transfer of ink and color that is too light. In some rare cases, the color transfer might be so light that you can’t adjust the ink enough to compensate. In this case, check the durometer of your plates. Your plate supplier can give you more information.

Doctor-blade issues

A worn doctor-blade can allow too much ink to pass between it and the anilox roller or gravure cylinder, resulting in a very strong color. In some cases, a press can be running fine; then suddenly the density shoots very high. When this happens, check your blade. Chances are it needs to be changed.

Plate backing material

Like the durometer of a flexo plate itself, the adhesive backing can also play a role in how a flexo plate performs. If you’re unable to get the look or color you need, consider changing the backing material.

Different levels of plate backing material (“sticky back”) can affect print characteristics, dot gain, and impression. For example, harder adhesive backing can yield better results on some substrates, medium performs well for process work, and soft has a lot of give and is forgiving with impression. This may be a good option if you’re having issues with gear chatter showing up in print.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS!! DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH TO US AT INFO(AT)DILIPINDUSTRIES(DOT)COM

OR

CLICK HERE TO SEND US ENQUIRY