TH-INK-ING ABOUT COLOR

According to the survey, 52 percent of respondents are using specialty inks on flexographic presses. This is followed by offset printers (19 percent) and letterpress printers (12 percent). In response to this statistic, Mulheran contends while 52 percent of printers could be using flexo presses to lay down specialty inks, a significant number of these printers probably have screen or letterpress heads in-line running in combination with flexo. "Combination presses provide printers with the flexibility to create applications with special effects," he says. "Each process has its strengths and weaknesses, and a hybrid press allows printers to combine the best that each process has to offer, resulting in a superior end-product."