Belarusian printer makes gains with Esko HD Flexo

Uniflex is a packaging and self-adhesive label specialist serving Russia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine.

So far, Uniflex has seen orders increase by 30 percent, reduced ink use and costs by a quarter, and seen plate waste fall from 25 percent to six percent.  

It has now invested in Esko Full HD Flexo and Equinox color technology software, and is currently migrating production to Full HD Flexo after investing in two Esko Inline UV2 systems at Drupa 2012.

Esko Full HD Flexo combines 4,000dpi HD optics on the Esko Cyrel digital imager (CDI) with Inline UV2 digital UV exposure and advanced screening technologies to produce sharper and more accurate imaging.

Uniflex said Full HD Flexo has led to a “significant growth in gravure-to-flexo conversion” thanks to the improved quality achieved by combining HD Flexo with Inline UV2.

Evgeny Lungin, head of pre-press for Uniflex, said: ‘Many customers who were using gravure for their work are now looking seriously at what we can offer with our updated flexo capabilities.

‘Their press runs are getting shorter, which makes gravure an expensive option.

‘Today, 40 percent of all work is HD Flexo. We are continuing the conversion process to Full HD Flexo, and our mid-term target is to print 60 percent of all jobs using this Esko solution.

‘Full HD Flexo makes very small, very high-quality run lengths commercially viable since different jobs can be combined together on the same web. Highlights are much more stable against pressure than with normal HD Flexo plates, and the results are much more press independent. Full HD Flexo is becoming the new plate standard for Uniflex.’

He added: We are even using Full HD Flexo plates on our 17-year-old press and achieving comparable quality to our new presses. This means jobs can be easily re-directed from one press to another, giving us a great deal of production workflow flexibility.’

Uniflex also installed Equinox, a unique color technology for expanded gamut printing. Using ICC profiles and color algorithms, it color matches and defines printing conditions.

Lungin said: ‘It is a major innovation being able to print Pantone colors with just seven inks. We can now offer higher quality, more saleable print with less color differentiation.

‘We have now boosted our color space and regularly use extended gamut printing. We are also saving an average of 25% in inks.’

Lungin concludes: ‘Our customers are very happy with the print quality, and that means they are placing more orders. We immediately saw a 30 percent increase in jobs coming through our shop as a result of beginning to implement Full HD Flexo. Our customers can also select from a wider range of substrates and have greater flexibility with their run lengths. Those are key attractions.’

Andrey Bataev, Esko’s general manager in the Russian Federation, said: ‘Uniflex is a great example of an operation that is adapting its portfolio of services to address today’s market pressures that largely result from an increasing trend on the part of brand owners towards shorter runs along with a need to meet tight budget restrictions.’