FILE PLATE PRINT Is it just a new method of screening? HDFlexo is not just a technology of screening, is a way to standarize and improve all processes in our company. The most important part of HD Flexo implementation is gathering knowledge about our current possibilities, weaknesses. It is first step – what we can improve with our current equipment, presses and so on. And next step – if it is not enough – what we need to change to achieve more  My presentation will be split to 3 parts: prepress – so what we can do with our file, plate processing – what we can do with our plate – what is important and what we have to check and last but not least – print. First idea was splitting to different segments of the market, but a lot of things is the same for all of them and I have just 45min 

About Flexo Tools How to Increase Flexo Output Quality First: Plate-making Then: HD Flexo Then: Image retouching Scalable and repeatable: Flexo Tools dissolves the smoke around Flexo retouching. It’s like having your best operator available on every workstation, every shift Flexo Tools In order of importance is plate making / hd flexo / prepress – we will start from the end – from preparation graphic file. Of course with possibilities of HD Flexo technology we can improve our printouts but to be “the best” we need to remember about disadvantages of flexo technology and avoid limitations

Viewer (Flexo Plate Preview) Highlights And break-outs Halftones (negative) Solids Nothing (0%) Viewer = consistent QA in DeskPack, ArtPro and PackEdge In case a quality issue is detected, often an image needs to be retouched Flexo Tools puts the same consistent QA tools in Photoshop and the smart tools to fix the issue it (FlexoClean and FlexoFix).

Flexo Tools - Flexo Clean viewX shows the problem: Scum dots and noisy break-outs Risk of dirty printing FlexoClean automatically simplifies the break-outs Eliminating the risk. Works on any image.

Flexo Tools - FlexoFix Advanced automatic image quality improvement Ideal for photographic images (product shots) Restore color saturation Restore contrast in the highlights

And more.. Object screening Microcell Smooth vignettes to zero – end at 0,78% Also add very thin line – not printable to stabilize first dots It is mandatory that technical vignettes to zero are ending at 0,78% rather than running all the way down to 0%. This is because the RIP is mixing grey level 0%- 0,38%-0,78% below which causes 0%-holes at the vignette end. These holes are destroying the self-supporting structure of the HD Flexo screening dots and are leading to dirty printing at the end of vignettes:

Balanced dot sizes in the highlights HD Screening employs a novel solution in the highlights… it is not “hybrid” screening, but “Differentially modulated” screening.. Where the dots remain on the regular grid as in standard AM circular, but in the highlight area they change size diferently. There is a mixture of mostly smaller dots with a few larger dots. As a result: there are no isolated dots, so they all print in a predictable way there are no gaps in the pattern. A smooth regular grid is the least visible to the eye HD Flexo works across the whole tonal range. HD Flexo offers oustanding dazzling highlights, stabile open midtones, even better than in Offset and via the new Microcell technology a high solid ink density. Dots stay on regular grid, so pattern is not grainy 7

# of tones = (resolution/screenfrequency)2 Resolution – why 4000dpi? - The number of tones that can normally be reproduced with a halftone screen is equal to the number of spots in a halftone cell - To have a good quality we need at least 256 tonal steps (for every ink). - To increase the number of tones you must increase the number of spots in the cell. This means either enlarging the cell (and decreasing screen frequency), or increasing the resolution of the imagesetter. This relationship can be expressed as follows: # of tones = (resolution/screenfrequency)2 +1 – can skip

Resolution – why 4000dpi? So for resolution 2400 DPI Screen Frequency: 150 LPI # of tones: (2400/200)2 = 256 -> OK – but it is limit Of course we have intelligent dithering algorithm but.. - When dots are made of few pixels, they will be jagged. - With some plate making processes, the jagged shape is transferred to plate. - The jagged corners are weak spots on the dot. - These jagged corners can collect ink. Mixture 7 and 8 px points to achieve % we need

See the difference – here - small dots… 3.5% digital dot, screened at 212 lpi Compare the difference between 4000 and 2400 ppi output resolutions: 2400 4000

But from other side.. We can use worse materials – see below sample – image 150dpi and 300dpi Wstawic wyniki wydruku z obniżoną rozdzielczościa

HD FLEXO Screens Installer Very simple – short demo?, show how we can generate targets

Platemaking.. Processing steps: Back exposure Laser plate imaging Main exposure Washout and drying / thermal process Post exposure Influence of the processing steps on the quality CDI – focus / energy Exposure o Optimum: 18 mW/cm2 and higher o Borderline: 18 mW/cm2 – 16 mW/cm2 Not feasible: < 16 mW/cm2 The best preparation of file with some problems during plate processing causes bad results during printing Also temperature is very important – exposer needs to be C – cooled, temperature of lamps and table has influence

How to check platemaking quality? Target has also AM screens – which is used as reference Useful is also HI-Fi target – the same for all plates. See reference pictures for DFH67 Sample 16px 20px

0,5% - reference field The 0,5% field looks similar to the reference plate. Meaning a solid top. All dots the same size. If you touch this area with your fingertips it should have the same height as the surrounding solid elements. Size ca. 20m for 175 (ca. 25 for DFH)

PRINT - 1-colour test And: Inks Anilox Tapes Press Samples 1c is printed with standard parameters of printing. Next – we can choose the best one and install libraries

Inks UV – Labels, Folding Carton, Flexible Packaging and others Recomendable plates: DuPont DFQ, DPN, DPI, DPR, Flint ACE, Asahi DEF Digital noise should be eliminated from images by using EskoArtwork FlexoTools (clean below 0,78%) Round Fogra dot shape should be used for substrates sensitive to mottling (e.g. paper label stock) water based inks – Corrugated Pre-Print and Post-Print, Folding Carton and others Recomandable plates: - Corrugated Post-Print: DuPont DPN, DuPont DS2, Flint ART - Corrugated Pre-Print: DuPont DPR, DuPont DS2, Flint ART, Flint ACT Folding Carton: DuPont DPR, DuPont DPN, DuPont DFQ, Flint ACT Round Fogra dot shape is recommended

Inks solvent inks Flexible packaging and others Recomandable plates: Smooth transition to zero– use hard plate - (e.g. DuPont DPR/DFQ, Flint ACE, Flint FAB, MacDermid RAVE, Asahi DSH ) High solids – use softer plate - e.g. DuPont DS2/DFS, Flint ACT, MacDermid DMAX, Asahi DSF). For hard plates use screens from either the Flexibles Low Volume (LV) or Flexibles Medium Volume (MV) section Comment: Flint prepare new series for HD Flexo – see samples

Anilox UV inksand water based inks - Anilox-LPI  5 x Job-LPI (and for excellent highlights cell volume < 5 cm3/m2 (3 BCM/in2) Solvent inks - Anilox-LPI  6 x Job-LPI

Tapes - Use harder tapes to improve solids, use softer tapes to improve highlights - Use a tape that is as hard as possible for best combination of good solid ink density and good highlight printing (and that still avoids bouncing) - For combination of solids and screens: o hard plates should be mounted with medium-hard tapes o softer plates should be mounted with medium-soft tapes - Plates containing only solids and linework (no screens) should always be mounted with hard tapes (e.g. for spot color or white printing) - When you are facing bouncing on the press, this often can be reduced by softer tape (especially on wide-web presses) - Paper adhesive label stock requires softer tapes to prevent mottling - Never re-use tape for high quality prints (although most printers do so) Sample : 5 different tapes for the same plate

Press - overimpression

EskoArtwork: HD Flexo - Sample 1% homogeneous grey printed with CMY: Very homogeneous printout despite CMY usage clearly shows the superiority of Perfect Highlight screening. Smooth and high contrast shadow without visible “edges” High Detail Sharpness Perfect Highlight Step wedges: 0,5% in file  2% in print 1% in file  3% in print 2% in file  5% in print 3% in file  9% in print Total 10 grey values print with less than 10% with excellent tonal dynamics  Perfect contrast in Highlights No need to compensate CT: 0,5% in CT prints with only 2% density. No need anymore to bump up CT (no loss of image contrast!) Vignette to zero: Smooth vignette transition to zero

EskoArtwork: HD Flexo Technical Details File % Print% in Cyan wedge Circular Perfect Highlight 8,0% 28% 18% 7,0% 26% 17% 6,0% 24% 15% 5,0% 23% 14% 4,0% 22% 11% 3,0% 9% 2,0% 21% 5% 1,0% 19% 3% 0,5% 2% Screen: Perfect HighlightTM and Circular Imager: CDI Spark 2530 HighRes optics Plate: DuPont DFQ (Thermal plate) Press: Gallus RCS 330 Anilox: Cyan: 420L/cm, depth 11µm, volume 3,1cm³/m², 60° Magenta: 420L/cm, depth 11µm, volume 3,1cm³/m², 60° Black: 320L/cm, depth 16µm, volume 4,7cm³/m², 60° Yellow: 320L/cm, depth 16µm, volume 4,6cm³/m², 60° Ink: UV Ink (Flint) Substrate: POPP White Gloss, Primer 60µm (Intercoat)

EskoArtwork: HD Flexo Smooth and High contrast shadow without visible “edges” even when black is running to zero High detail sharpness with smooth transition to zero High contrast in highlights and shadows: Black is used to increase shadow details but does not lead to sharp edges when running to zero (transition shadow  highlights Perfect Highlight Step wedges: 0,5% in file  2% in print 1% in file  3% in print 2% in file  5% in print 3% in file  9% in print Total 10 grey values print with less than 10% with excellent tonal dynamics  Perfect contrast in Highlights No need to compensate CT: 0,5% in CT prints with only 2% density. No need anymore to bump up CT (no loss of image contrast!) Vignette to zero: Smooth vignette transition to zero

EskoArtwork: HD Flexo Technical Details File % Print% in Cyan wedge Circular Perfect Highlight 8,0% 28% 18% 7,0% 26% 17% 6,0% 24% 15% 5,0% 23% 14% 4,0% 22% 11% 3,0% 9% 2,0% 21% 5% 1,0% 19% 3% 0,5% 2% Screen: Perfect HighlightTM and Circular Imager: CDI Spark 2530 HighRes optics Plate: DuPont DFQ (Thermal plate) Press: Gallus RCS 330 Anilox: Cyan: 420L/cm, depth 11µm, volume 3,1cm³/m², 60° Magenta: 420L/cm, depth 11µm, volume 3,1cm³/m², 60° Black: 320L/cm, depth 16µm, volume 4,7cm³/m², 60° Yellow: 320L/cm, depth 16µm, volume 4,6cm³/m², 60° Ink: UV Ink (Flint) Substrate: POPP White Gloss, Primer 60µm (Intercoat)