Advantage ... Digital

The economics and flexibility associated with flexo plates make them the standard for package printing, especially when compared with litho plates. Asserts James Kadlec, president, Advanced Prepress Graphics, “Flexo plates retain a cost per square inch vs. a full sheet like litho plates. Litho printing relies on ink transferring from the plate to a blanket, but flexo prints on the final substrate directly. This means that flexo can print on a wider variety of substrates. Flexo offers production and converting benefits not available as economically with litho.” However, Ian Hole, director for market development, Esko-Graphics, adds, “Due to the nature of flexo, the surface of an offset plate is much flatter and easier to image. The undulation in a polymer (flexo) plate makes imaging a bit more complicated.”