24 March 2014

Kodak’s plates elevate flexo to gravure quality

Leveraging years of experience in research, designing and engineering technology for imaging graphics, Eastman Kodak launched its digital printing plate system for flexography, Flexcel NX, at Drupa 2008. Today Kodak has installed more than 300 Flexcel NX Systems for use in the manufacture of labels, cartons and flexible packaging. Distinctive technology, controlled installation and process education has two of Kodak’s Pennsyl-vania-based users – a mid-web converter and a pre-press house growing their business because of the quality return on their investments.

Emma Schlotthauer, global packaging marketing manager for Kodak, says, ‘The advanced Flexcel NX process removes the traditional constraints of flexo printing, giving designers more freedom to deliver the kind of pop and impact on-shelf they would normally expect from gravure printing.’

The Kodak Flexcel NX System incorporates Kodak Squarespot imaging technology – taken from the offset CTP world where Kodak has +16,000 devices installed – combined with high resolution plate materials and a unique lamination process. The Kodak technology images a high-resolution dye-based mask rather than a carbon mask used in other digital plate production systems.

Kodak’s lamination process eliminates the presence of oxygen in the plate-making process, allowing a faithful reproduction of the image on the plate. The tonal range is wide, delivering smooth image reproduction without the visible hard breaks often associated with flexo.