RBCOR, LLC

News on suppliers to the package printing industry, including EskoArtwork, Mark Andy, Technicote, Anderson & Vreeland, Davis-Standard, MacDermid Printing Solutions and more.

Asahi Kasei E-materials Corp. (Asahi) announced that it is reorganizing its photoproducts sales network in North America. Going forward, Asahi will discontinue its direct sales efforts, and will rely on its reseller network for all sales and technical support activities.

ATLANTA, Ga.—Asahi Kasei E-materials Corp. (Asahi), a supplier of photopolymer printing plates to the flexographic printing industry, announced that it is reorganizing its photoproducts sales network in North America. Going forward, Asahi will discontinue its direct sales efforts and will rely on its reseller network for all sales and technical support activities. In doing so, Asahi is in the process of closing the Atlanta Office of Asahi Kasei America Inc. (AKA).

ATLANTA, Ga.—Asahi Photoproducts-Asahi Kasei America announced that effective September 1, 2010, Correct Touch Graphic Arts, All Printing Resources, Inc., and RBCOR, LLC will distribute Asahi’s new water-washable photopolymer plate AWP in the U.S.

“All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas/Layin’ in the sun,/Talkin’ ‘bout the things/They woulda coulda shoulda done….” The beloved Shel Silverstein poem is a cautionary tale for flexographic trade shops still on the fence about implementing a digital plate workflow. Said to eliminate many of the variables associated with its analog counterpart, digital flexographic platemaking has matured, and a growing number of trade shops and their customers are wondering why it took them so long to “come around.” NPP Packaging Graphics Specialists is one such company. Although the $7 million, Indianapolis-based prepress house serving the corrugated, wide and narrow web, and tag and label markets has had digital

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The fourth annual Phoenix Challenge Fund Raising Luncheon, organized to support the 2007 Annual International Phoenix Challenge Flexo Skills Competition and the brand new PC College competition, took place at the Doubletree Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., and boasted a record attendance of more than 100 participants. Five speakers addressed the genial group of flexo industry professionals. “We are very grateful for a terrifically successful luncheon,” said Bettylyn Krafft, Phoenix Challenge Foundation (PCF) chairman, of the event. “We appreciate the generous benefactors who sponsored full tables at this luncheon, as well as the loyal backers who support us in smaller numbers.” Krafft opened the

Agfa Offers the Thermostar P970–ideal for VLF applications–and the Thermostar P971 thermal imaging plate. Write 160, Visit www.agfa.com J ANDERSON & VREELAND Offers digital prepress systems and conventional photopolymer processors and plate mounters. Platemaking materials include a range of solvent and water-wash sheet photopolymer, liquid photopolymer, rubber compounds, matrix and accessories. Write 161, Visit www.anderson vreeland.com, See Ad p. 8 J BETA INDUSTRIES The Betaflex 334 Flexo Plate Analyzer eliminates bad plates early in production cycle. Measures flexo plates, negatives, proofs, prints for true dot area, ruling, dot quality. Write 162, Visit www.beta screen.com, See Ad p. 7 BPS Printing Systems Offers state-of-the-art

AGFA Offers the Thermostar P970-ideal for VLF applications-and the Thermostar P971 thermal imaging plate. Write 207, Visit www.agfa.com, ANDERSON & VREELAND Offers digital prepress systems and conventional photopolymer processors and plate mounters. Platemaking materials include a range of solvent and water-wash sheet photopolymer, liquid photopolymer, rubber compounds, matrix and accessories. Write 208, Visit www. andersonvreeland.com BETA INDUSTRIES The Betaflex 334 Flexo Plate Analyzer eliminates bad plates early in production cycle. Measures flexo plates, negatives, proofs, prints for true dot area, ruling, dot quality. Write 209, Visit www.betascreen.com BPS Printing Systems Offers state-of-the-art nyloflex® and nyloprint® brand photopolymer printing plates for printing

Flexo plate costs aren't likely to decrease dramatically until platemaking production is made fully digital. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor PLATE EVOLUTION WILL always set the stage for further development of flexographic printing. But with the invention and advancement of "newer, better" systems and materials, inevitably comes the demand for "cheaper." Unfortunately, as plate manufacturers and prepress providers alike testify, a dramatic decrease in flexo plate prices won't be feasible until processing and production become substantially more simplified. Better conventional plate processing There are various methods for improving efficiency within the flexo platemaking process as it exists today. A primary cost-reduction strategy involves