Indian prepress trade shop Flexone Graphics has invested in a Flexcel NX System and Flexcel NX Print Suite from Miraclon as part of its expansion with a second production site in Ahmedabad. Flexcel NX Print Suite – now also incorporated at its production site in Delhi – adds Miraclon’s UV Choice Printing for UV-printed narrow web applications and PureFlexo Printing for wide web flexible packaging to Flexone’s capabilities.

“Both solutions employ Miraclon’s patented multi-form surface patterning technology and continue our strategy of providing our customers with the unique, differentiated offerings necessary to stay ahead in today’s ever-changing market,” says Vimal Paliwal, director, Flexone Graphics.

After successful careers in graphic design, Vimal and his brother Deepak, director, moved into prepress, initially providing offset prepress services from its Delhi facility. The company expanded into flexo prepress in 2017, installing a Flexcel NX Wide 4260 System. After the Ahmedabad site opened in 2023, the company this year installed its second Flexcel NX Wide 4260 System to serve the demanding, quality-conscious narrow and wide web markets in the west of the country.

Straightforward decision

Deepak Paliwal says choosing the Flexcel NX System and Flexcel NX Print Suite for Ahmedabad was “a straightforward decision. The fact is, Flexcel NX Technology is the preferred choice for wide and narrow web printing, and a ‘must have’ if you want to stay competitive in a demanding market.”

Adds Vimal, “Our more discerning customers will specify Flexcel NX Plates for their work because they recognize the on-press efficiency and quality advantages it has over LAMS plates. At the prepress stage, Flexcel NX Technology is 20-25% more productive because imaging is faster and high-quality jobs featuring vignettes and halftones, which test LAMS plates, are much simpler to render successfully. On the press, customers’ operators tell us Flexcel NX Plates come to color faster and produce more predictable results.”

Comments Deepak Paliwal, “The decision to move into flexo has proved a good move, as more and more brands are transitioning from offset to flexo. It used to be that only the larger brands were doing this, but now even smaller regional brands are switching to flexo for high-quality products with added on-shelf impact.”

Significant enhancements

UV Choice Printing and PureFlexo Printing are tailored to significantly enhance Flexone Graphics’ capabilities on, respectively, UV flexo printed narrow web and wide web flexible packaging applications.

On a wide range of substrates, including foils, coated and uncoated labels, UV Choice Printing optimizes UV ink transfer and increases ink density by up to 15%. This eliminates troubleshooting quality issues on press and delivers better reproduction of solids, fine lines, crisp barcodes and text at lower ink volumes. It also simplifies and decreases set-up times by up to 20%.

Designed specifically for wide web solvent ink on film applications, PureFlexo Printing enables Flexcel NX System users to produce high-quality print within a wider operating window on-press. It does so by controlling unwanted ink spread – at the heart of many common flexo print problems – maximizing press efficiency, repeatability and overall performance, and contributing to cleaner print, stable color and a better bottom line for wide web flexible producers.