Communication
63 Modern Day Printing Methods: Flexography
Kennedy Lollis
Introduction
If you were to look around your surroundings right now, you would be able to find a product or package that has been directly or indirectly affected by flexographic printing. Whether it might be the label on the back of your phone or the packaging of the bag of chips you are eating, these are all influenced by this printing method. Since the beginning of printing methods dating back to Gutenberg in the mid-fifteenth century AD (Rees 2006), different kinds of printing methods have been created and evolved through the years. The flexographic printing process’s integration into everyday packaging profoundly shapes societal norms and consumer behaviors through its cost-effectiveness, versatility, and efficiency in mass-producing labels, wrappers, and cartons for diverse products, reflecting its significant impact on modern consumption patterns and brand recognition.
History
Although printing methods have been around since the fifteenth century with Gutenberg, this process has been around since the late nineteenth century. Until the 1950s, this printing method was named “aniline printing in reference to the kinds of inks typically used in the process” (Gomez 2000). When this process first began, it started with an idea of printing with rubber plates. This differentiated this rotary press from the rest of printing methods out there. One of the first packaging materials used with this press was corrugated boards. With this unique type of material, it made it difficult to print on with other printing methods which gave way to a new method. With this method, it involved rubber plates, oil-based inks, and corrugated boards. This type of material cannot directly be considered a part of flexographic printing, but it inspired more in this method (Gomez 2000).
Steps within the Process
The science behind this process is intricate and multifaceted. Before printing can commence, a meticulous design must be created and refined on a computer. Flexography offers two primary color processes: the versatile four-color process, capable of rendering any image with realism, and spot colors, which provide precise color matching and nuanced variation through halftones.
Once the designer ensures the design’s integrity, it progresses to the critical prepress stage. Here, meticulous quality checking and proofing are conducted by printing experts, who scrutinize every detail to ensure color accuracy and eliminate potential printing flaws. This meticulous process not only ensures a flawless final product but also relieves the press operator of concerns during printing.
Following quality assurance, the process advances to platemaking, a pivotal step where the image is transferred onto photopolymer plates. These plates, comprised of flexible layers, precisely capture the image on one side while maintaining structural integrity on the other. Depending on the design’s complexity and color requireme