Process Progress

He also foresees advances in UV flexo that will further its flexible packaging penetration, possibly with the evolution of UV/EB systems.

John Little, president of Nilpeter, believes press sales still favor straight flexo, but expects UV flexo to continue to lead UV growth due to the abundance of flexo presses in the field, and the fact that flexo printers can afford to upgrade. Little maintains UV offset's progression is due not so much to a hard-to-resist trend, but to matter-of-fact necessity. "As it is the only available offset process for pressure-sensitive labels, it will continue to take a chunk out of sheetfed, heatset offset," he says.