Consumables-General - Plates

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Flexographic Pre-Press Platemakers Association (FPPA) presented the 2008 FPPA Technology Innovator of the Year awards recently at its annual meeting in San Antonio. The Kodak Flexcel NX Digital Flexographic System was one of three products to earn the prestigious award from FPPA, marking the second time that Kodak has been honored by the association for its offerings in the flexographic marketplace. Designed to recognize outstanding achievement within any production or administrative area of the prepress process, the FPPA Technology Innovator of the Year awards began in 2001 and are highly regarded within the flexographic community. Products or technologies that take an

Trends in flexo platemaking reflect two things: the dwindling number of users who favor analog workflows over digital and those who already have made the transition to digital—and never looked back. Trends in digital flexo platemaking shake out between users who prefer solvent-based workflows and those who have already made, or are seriously contemplating, the switch to thermal. In the world of flexo platemaking, options are proliferating. By the time “The Greatest Show On Earth” rolls in and out of Düsseldorf this spring, flexo shops will have more choices than ever to help them achieve the results they want. Advantage: Digital According to Ian

LUXEMBOURG—Flint Group announced the formation of its new global business unit, Flint Group Flexographic Products. It combines the Flint Group Printing Plates activities with the rotec sleeve business, which was included in the Flint Group acquisition of Day International in 2007. Flint Group Printing Plates supplies photopolymer plates for flexography and letterpress. rotec is a supplier of sleeves and adapter systems for flexo applications. “The new business unit is a logical step following the acquisition of Day International in 2007 in order to create real added value from the combined businesses,” commented Charles Knott, CEO of Flint Group. “This is what our customers expect

HUDSON, N.H.—Presstek, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of digital offset business solutions, announced the filing of a Complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC) against Israeli printing plate manufacturer VIM Technologies, Ltd. and its manufacturing partner Hanita Coatings RCA, Ltd. for infringement of Presstek’s patent and trademark rights. Presstek also sued three U.S.-based distributors of VIM products: Guaranteed Service & Supplies, Inc., Ohio Graphco Inc., and Recognition Systems Inc., as well as one Canadian based distributor, AteCe Canada. Presstek is seeking, among other things, an Order from the ITC forbidding the importation and sale of the VIM printing plates in the United States;

HUDSON, N.H.—Presstek, Inc. has announced the formation of three strategic business units designed to increase organizational focus on key business areas. Each strategic business unit is led by a Group Product Director. New strategic business units include: • Digital Printing Business Unit, which includes digital presses, consumables and workflow • CTP Business Unit, responsible for digital platemaking systems, consumables and workflow • Traditional Business Unit, consists of polyester CTP platemaking and pressroom supplies “As Presstek’s new management team looks at the addressability of our solutions to the worldwide print market, it became clear that we could benefit by aligning our resources into three

LUXEMBOURG—Flint Group announced the formation of its new global business unit, Flint Group Flexographic Products. It combines the Flint Group Printing Plates activities with the rotec sleeve business, which was included in the Flint Group acquisition of Day International in 2007. Flint Group Printing Plates supplies photopolymer plates for flexography and letterpress. rotec is a supplier of sleeves and adapter systems for flexo applications. “The new business unit is a logical step following the acquisition of Day International in 2007 in order to create real added value from the combined businesses,” commented Charles Knott, CEO of Flint Group. “This is what our customers expect

Challenged with shorter lead times, smaller order quantity, and tighter registration, forest products giant, Weyerhaeuser, increased prepress production by 100 percent, cut downtime between runs, reduced prepress waste, and improved safety with new digital Vision Plate Mounter/Proofer system from Leader Engineering by Jim McMahon Flexographic printing had long been considered a low-quality printing system, but a mainstay for the printing of packaging containers, such as corrugated boxes and flexible packaging like food bags, shopping bags, and self-adhesive labels. Technical developments over the past few decades in the flexo printing process have improved print quality, such as by enhancing the ability to reproduce highlight

Brand recognition and integrity depend on packaging. The need for faster makeready, on-time delivery, and reductions in cost and waste places a premium on predictable results and comparable quality independent of location, substrate, or printing process. The primary goal of color management, therefore, is to reproduce predictable, repeatable, consistent color across a range of devices and media from the time a file enters the workflow until it is reproduced on press. Because proof, plate, and print must deliver identical results, color management touches every part of the print or packaging workflow. As such, it relies on a range of tools including calibration devices, prepress

Walking a tight rope is tricky business; one slip of the foot can cause a whole mess of problems. Plate mounting is much the same. It is an intricate part of the printing process, and requires much attention. As market manager of paper, print, and film for tesa tape, Joe Prunier is familiar with converters’ plate-mounting nightmares. “I can give literally dozens of examples of when we have received calls from our customers (who say they are) having problems with edge-lift, bubbling, poor print, registration problems, adhesive delamination, and foam splitting,” he says. As a result of these drawbacks, materials are wasted and money

What hath computer-to-plate (CTP) wrought? Consider “in-the-round” imaging or ITR. The term refers to digitally imaged, continuous polymer printing sleeves that arguably are the future of flexography, and that already are opening up a number of attractive opportunities to printers and end users. Flexo sleeves not only work well with less expensive substrates, such as tissue, napkins, and paper towels, but provide excellent lay-down of solid and metallic inks. Advances in flexo sleeve technology are yielding similar opportunities in markets traditionally dominated by other processes—paper or foil gift-wrap (rubber flexo or gravure), folding cartons (offset or gravure), and shrink sleeves (gravure). In compiling