Flexographic printing

Flexographic printing is a rotary method that uses flexible, raised photopolymer plates. An engraved anilox roll meters the ink onto the plate, which then transfers it directly to the film or paper.

Where it fits

Flexo is widely used for snack bags, bakery packs, kraft pouches and other medium-to-high volume flexible packaging. It handles plastic films, paper and foil, and works with both solvent-based and water-based inks.

Strengths and limits

Plates are far cheaper and quicker to make than gravure cylinders, so flexo suits brands that update artwork often. Modern central-impression presses deliver good speed and colour consistency. The trade-offs are dot gain, slightly less crisp micro-text and less smooth highlight vignettes compared with rotogravure.

For food packs the print is usually trapped between laminated layers so ink does not touch the product.

Tips

• Designs built on solid colours and logos tend to print very well in flexo.
• Specify Pantone references early for brand colours.
• Ask your converter for minimum text size and line weight before finalising artwork.