A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium, thereby transferring the ink.

What does a flexo press do?

A flexo press uses flexible photopolymer printing plates to imprint images across a wide range of surfaces, making it one of the most efficient methods for large volume requirements. Used widely for labels and packaging - flexo printing is reliable and provides consistently high quality print results at the same time.

What can be printed on flexo?

Flexography is a roll-feed web printing process. Flexographic printing is commonly used to print high volumes of labels and packaging. Presses can print on a variety of films, foils, papers, corrugated board, and paperboard and achieve speeds of 500 to 2000 feet per minute.

How much does a flexo press operator make?

Flexographic Press Operators in America make an average salary of $47,830 per year or $23 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $59,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $38,000 per year.

How do I become a flexo press operator?

The primary qualifications for getting a job as a flexo press operator are a high school diploma and some experience working with a flexographic printing press. Some colleges offer programs in flexography, which can substitute for work experience with many employers.

Flexographic Printing Basics

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How does flexography printing work?

How Does Flexography Work? In flexographic printing, the starting material comes in the form of a roll, which passes through a series of rotary flexible relief plates. A specialized roller feeds each flexible plate with ink, with a single flexible plate required for each individual printed color.

How do you identify flexography?

Flexography uses a rubber-like plate that, under pressure, transfers ink to the substrate. This results in type that often appear to be surrounded by a sharp-edged "halo." The same effect, but in opposite, occurs in the halftone dots which may have dark edges and light centers.

Where is flexography used?

Flexographic Printing is commonly used in the production of flexible food and beverage packaging, labels, boxes, and folding cartons.

How do you design for flexo printing?

Design Instructions for Flexo Printing

1. images should be modified using Photoshop.
2. colour separation must be CMYK not RGB.
3. separations should have high contrast in respect of both grey level and hue.
4. a minimum of 300 ppi should be used.

What is the difference between flexo and digital printing?

Flexographic printing requires more setup time, and each change in graphics (e.g., flavor variations, varietals, etc.) requires new plates to be made. ... Digital printing is a plate-free printing technology that requires virtually no setup time.

What is the difference between flexo and gravure printing?

gravure is the range of inks flexo is able to print with. ... In most cases, flexo printing ink is the superior choice due to the ease of printing with a wider variety of inks. Gravure requires much more ink per print, which can drive up the cost of printing.

How does an anilox roller work?

Anilox (Roller)

The roller is engraved with a pattern of indented cells. The size and shape of these cells are carefully controlled to carry a precise volume of ink. The cells collect ink from a supply and, as the roller turns, they deposit the ink on the raised surface of a flexographic printing plate.

Does flexography use CMYK?

The printing process does both works with CMYK and Pantone colours, but it is mostly used for Pantone colours since each printing plates gets a colour added.

How are flexo plates made?

A flexographic print is made by creating a positive mirrored master of the required image as a 3D relief in a rubber or polymer material. Flexographic plates can be created with analog and digital platemaking processes. The image areas are raised above the non image areas on the rubber or polymer plate.

What is pad printing used for?

Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise difficult to print on products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, and electronic objects, as well as appliances, sports equipment and toys.

Is flexography used for newspapers?

Based on letterpress-printing principles, flexographic presses are composed of the same basic elements... ... In the late 20th century flexography began to find new and significant applications as an alternative process used in newspaper printing presses.

What is the another name of flexography?

noun Printing. a relief printing technique similar to letterpress that employs rubber or soft plastic plates, a simple inking system, and fast-drying inks. Also called flexographic printing.

What is rubber flexo plate?

Flexographic printing plates are flexible photopolymer plates, used in flexo printing to transfer ink & images to a flexible substrate, such as paper or film. ... The plates are flexible enough to be wrapped around cylindrical print/plate rollers.

Is flexo offset?

Flexography, also called "Flexo", is similar to offset printing. In the case of flexo, it transfers ink from the plate directly to the substrate, which in this case is paper or other material you are using for your packaging.

How many types of printing are there?

When it comes to professional printing processes there are three main types: Offset litho printing. Digital Printing. Screen printing.

How do I know if my print is offset?

Take a copy of a printed product that you know was printed on an offset lithographic press, and look at the halftone dots in a color or black and white image. In particular, if it's a color image, you'll see crisp, sharp halftone dots in circular, rosette patterns.

What ink is used in flexography?

Flexographic ink comes in three main varieties: water-based, UV curable, and solvent-based. The substrate type – or printing surface – will ultimately dictate the ink that will be used for each application.

What are the disadvantages of flexography?

On the downside, flexographic printing is not very advanced. It cannot produce complicated and extensive artwork as compared to that produced by rotogravure printing. The colors in the final product of flexographic printing are neither as bold nor as crisp as they are in rotogravure printing.

What is a press operator assistant?

A press assistant, also called a press operator, supervises and operates the press machine that produces print publications like newspapers, magazines, and books. Their job duties are to run the printing press machine, load supplies like ink and paper, and adjust the settings to ensure quality results.