Patent pending in US for digital plate with flat topped dot

Following in the footsteps of its patented analog plate with a completely flat topped dot - ExSpect™, PRP Flexo, Indianapolis USA has just announced that it has achieved the same profile within a completely digital environment, thereby enabling the same print advantages of their analog plate but with a completely digital workflow. It is also of particular interest to the RFID world as it follows their successful direct printing tests of RFID onto corrugated board.

 

The process now allows converters to direct print onto corrugated and get results comparable to litho or pre-print, enabling flexible inventory control, resulting in significant cost reductions. The same process also achieves tremendous results for flexible packaging printers, as the dot gain received from the new plates is far less than both conventional digital or conventional flexographic plates, in addition to the greatly reduced set-up times.

 

The flat topped dots provide the most accurate delivery system for the ink over all other dot profile types. Huge benefits were gained with the analog ExSpect™ plates and PRP Flexo looked at achieving the same results within a digital environment. In addition to the quality of the print achieved, they were also able to reduce set-up times and in some cases even enable customers to switch from a litho label to direct print with little or no compromise in print quality. In some cases, that saved their customers a great deal of money by providing more options.

 

Chris Green, General Manager of PRP Flexo said, "The new digital plates we have developed which we have called Digital ExSpect™ should provide our customers with even more options for their next print jobs, along with the advantages of a streamlined digital workflow."

 

The patent for the Digital ExSpect™ plates is pending and is expected to be awarded shortly.