Flexcel NX helps flexo printers, especially those in flexible packaging, to deliver greater shelf impact to brand owners. The company’s original flat-top-dot digital platemaking system does not add complexity to a printer’s operation or require spending large amounts of money on technological improvements.
“Consumer product brands are in a constant competition for shelf impact, and when purchasing decisions are made in a split second, the print quality and colour vibrancy of a packaged good can make a consumer choose one brand over its competitor,” said Kodak’s Global Packaging Marketing Lead Emma Schlotthauer. “Flexo printers look to technological innovation to improve print quality while ridding their processes of waste, bottlenecks and inefficiencies – so they can get products out the door for brand owners more quickly than their competitors.”
The set of new Flexcel NX imaging and screening features now include the ability to:
- Print white layers with fewer pinholes, greater opacity and lower ink volumes.
- Increase the vibrancy and cleanliness of overprinted colours.
- Achieve better spot color printing with a smoother ink laydown and clean reverse text.
- Achieve the smoothest transitions and fades to zero for subtle design features.
The enhancements were made possible by a carefully selected combination of advanced plate-surface patterns for its Digicap NX Patterning application, a new generation of its ‘light valve’ imaging technology, and a new hybrid screening solution – Kodak Maxtone SX Screening. “All features rely on the unique, precise imaging delivered by Kodak SquareSpot Imaging technology, which is a core component of every Kodak Flexcel NX System,” the company added.
“What Kodak is offering as a solution to these industry pain points is what we’re calling the NX advantage – the intersection of technical advantage and business advantage that allows printers to effectively compete in this fast-paced environment, offering best-in-class flexo and a truly viable alternative to gravure printing,” Schlotthauer explained. “In developing the new features – the result of more than two years of R&D investment – we took a look at the complete process of printing on flexibles. We examined the printing of white ink, spot colours and high-definition process graphics and developed a tool set designed to enhance the overall package.”
The new system enhancements have been in the hands of beta customers for several months now, many of whom have already transitioned its features to commercial production with “overwhelmingly positive feedback from the brands they serve,” said Kodak.
