Miraclon, home of KODAK FLEXCEL Solutions, has hosted its first Miraclon Innovates virtual event to introduce PureFlexo Printing, enabling KODAK FLEXCEL NX System users to produce high-quality flexo print within a wider operating window on press by controlling unwanted ink spread in ways never seen before. Designed specifically for wide web solvent ink on film applications, PureFlexo Printing maximizes press efficiency, repeatability and overall performance while enabling printers and prepress providers to experience cleaner print, stable color and a better bottom line for their business.

Emma Schlotthauer, chief marketing officer at Miraclon, says,“For brands who rely more than ever on the power of packaging to connect with customers, brand consistency and eye-catching flexible packaging is increasingly important. Printers need solutions that help them meet the ever-expanding demands of graphic reproduction without needing to operate at less than optimum production speeds or risking press downtime from continual adjustments and unscheduled stoppages. A wide print latitude is the key to profitable production. PureFlexo Printing addresses a core technical issue – unwanted ink spread – which helps to widen print latitude and reset the quality-efficiency balance.”

Print latitude, unwanted ink spread and why printers should address it

Printers get the best out of their press machinery when they have the flexibility to run uninterrupted. They need wide latitude (also referred to as the operating window) and a robust process to manage production efficiently as a narrow latitude means small changes can push a print run out of acceptable quality or tolerances. PureFlexo Printing gives printers the power to keep the press running with a low risk of getting to unacceptable print by resisting unwanted ink spread.

John Anderson, director of Advanced Print Applications at Miraclon, explains how unwanted ink spread affects print latitude. “Ink that flows easily is a natural characteristic of printing with solvent flexo inks on film. When that ink flows in unwanted places, it can fill in, cause bridging and build-up, creating ‘dirty print.’ It’s not always easy to manage and is often made worse by practices designed to address other print issues – such as the use of harder tapes, higher ink volumes and over-impression. PureFlexo Printing addresses the issue head-on by using sophisticated plate surface patterning to resist and control ink spread, and sets a new standard for clean, predictable print.”

Schlotthauer adds that PureFlexo Printing and the reduction of unwanted ink spread has major financial benefits for printers and prepress providers. “For example, if an unscheduled press stop to clean plates takes about 10 minutes, and with a typical billable press rate of around US$ 700/hour, you can easily start doing the math about the financial benefits in eliminating some of these stops. Add in the reduction of waste material and post-print capacity implications, and the need to address unwanted ink spread proves to be a particularly significant one.”

PureFlexo Printing – resetting the quality-efficiency balance for flexo printers

Built on Miraclon’s expertise in highly controlled ink transfer mechanisms and further unlocking the core capabilities of the FLEXCEL NX System, PureFlexo Printing gives unprecedented control over unwanted ink spread, increasing print latitude at all quality levels. This extension of Miraclon’s knowledge in Advanced Plate Surface Patterning Technology, which has had over two years of testing in the field on over 20,000 commercial jobs, proves to reduce unscheduled press stops due to dirty print, deliver more predictable color, decrease press-to-proof match issues, and lower the impact of operator and other production changes.

“With lower dot gain and significantly reduced ink build-up during a run, PureFlexo Printing not only brings a more predictable match to a press color profile, it also reduces the need to stop the press to clean plates,” adds Anderson. “This results in much greater production efficiencies while producing a high-quality result. The complete prepress and printing process becomes more efficient.”

Benefits for prepress providers, printers and brands

Printers report that greater resistance to common production issues means that challenging work can now be produced more consistently and with greater uptime. Notably, FLEXCEL NX Plates with PureFlexo Printing can typically use a softer mounting tape without compromising image reproduction. This helps reduce voids and the need to over-impress – further increasing plate life.

Prepress providers can break the cycle of chasing color, retouching and remaking plates. Trade shops that have tested the technology report a significant reduction in image retouching and file preparation before proof due to a more linear response, and a more accurate press to proof match – reducing the need for client press approvals.

Continuous innovation

PureFlexo Printing, utilizing newly patented Miraclon technology created by the same R&D team responsible for the invention of the original FLEXCEL NX System launched in 2008, builds on the innovation Miraclon has brought to the market over the past 13 years.

“The launch of our core FLEXCEL NX Technology in 2008 helped to elevate flexo printing to compete head-on with other printing processes and addressed the inconsistencies traditionally associated with flexo,” says Schlotthauer as she puts Miraclon’s rich heritage of innovation into perspective. “Since then, we have continued the journey; building our knowledge in mechanisms to control ink transfer with a range of award-winning technology; first with the introduction of KODAK DIGICAP NX Patterning in 2010, and the subsequent introduction of our Advanced DIGICAP NX Patterning (commonly referred to as NX Advantage) with Advanced Edge Definition technology in 2016. PureFlexo Printing is the next step in unlocking the full potential of the FLEXCEL NX System, enabling flexible packaging printers to lead the charge in pushing the boundaries of flexo printing within a controlled, sustainable manufacturing environment.”

PureFlexo Printing is available immediately to all FLEXCEL NX System users through the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Print Suite for flexible packaging.