Advantage ... Digital

On the other hand, says Kadlec, lithography lends itself more readily to computer-to-plate than does flexo, and the associated costs of the transition are factors to be considered in making the switch from analog to digital. “Compared with a 30˝ x 40˝ litho plate costing $10 ($.22/square inch), a photopolymer plate of the same size costs $264. This makes making flexo errors cost-prohibitive,” says Kadlec. “As with litho plates, digital errors find their way to the press. Litho is a much less time consuming makeready compared to flexo. In my opinion, until the digital environment can be cost justified, digital flexo platemaking will be aspiring to come to life.”