Explain the difference between flexographic printing and gravure printing of automatic screen printing machine

Automatic screen printing machine

The difference between flexographic printing and gravure printing of automatic screen printing machine

Compared with flexographic products, gravure printing products have a stronger visual effect and generally higher quality. Therefore, people generally cannot notice the progress and development of gravure printing. In fact, the advancement of plate making and engraving technology and the development of film-free electronic engraving have greatly improved the consistency of gravure plates.

The difference between flexographic printing and gravure printing of automatic screen printing machine

Nowadays, the gravure printing process has gradually emerged from the predicament of the elusive and continually groping people, and is developing in the direction of predictability and repeatability. In the past, gravure printing was made by chemical etching, and due to the poor consistency of the plate cylinder, many wastes were caused each time. With the development of laser engraving, automated electroplating lines and the emergence of lightweight rollers, the consistency and ease of use of gravure printing will continue to improve and improve.

There is a view that the quality of gravure prints is higher than that of flexographic prints at the same price; when the image quality of the two is the same, people generally recognize that the quality of gravure prints is poor, which is a defective product. Or unqualified products.

Cost of production

Although the cost of gravure printing is higher than that of flexographic printing in the first printing, for a fixed repetitive printing job, the cost difference between the two will be quickly reduced after printing many times. If the design content of the job is basically not changed within six months or even longer, then the cost of using gravure printing is relatively low. For long runs, the life of the gravure cylinder can reach up to 1 million meters, but the life of the flexo resin is only 1/2 or less. In addition, the downtime required for flexographic printing is 2 to 3 percentage points longer than with gravure printing.

Production cycle

Gravure printing has formed a rigorous and thorough workflow, from the original design to the Kromalin sample, to the final print, the customer generally has to confirm step by step. This will undoubtedly prolong the production cycle and increase production costs. In contrast, the workflow used in flexo printing is much simpler and much more straightforward; it usually takes less than four weeks from the design of the original to the delivery.

In addition, the development and application of electronic engraving technology is also a big advancement, it can achieve multiple engraving of the drum, and greatly shorten the plate making cycle.

Therefore, flexographic printing and gravure printing are important printing processes, and they are all rapidly developing. Both have their own merits. In order to better compare the two processes, it is necessary to develop a quantitative evaluation system for the evaluation of the quality of printed images, and to compare flexographic and gravure prints with uniform standards and parameters.