Doctoring systems play an important role in removing excess ink, but they are not perfect.

By Missy Smith

One Size Does Not Fit All

With so many different printing types, there is a high demand for the doctor blade supplier to provide printers with blades that work for their specific printing styles. Gravure and flexo printing processes have both changed so much during the last 10 years that the standard printing supplies cannot always address today’s demanding markets. Gravure printers are getting longer life out of their cylinders because cylinder suppliers have upgraded their equipment and processes. With longer cylinder life, printers need a doctor blade that will last longer and not damage the cylinder, which led the gravure industry to begin using more and more coated blades over the last 5 years.