Handbook Flexo PDF

Packaging Printing
The Essential Handbook

for Flexography &
The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing
The Essential Handbook
for Flexography & Packaging Printing
including
A glossary of terms
Whitmar Publications Ltd

FlexoTech magazine Publisher: Rob Mulligan
Whitmar Publications Ltd
Editor: Neel Madsen
30 London Road
Tunbridge Wells Online editor: Michal Lodej
Kent TN4 0RE
Sales director: Lindsey Pearson
United Kingdom
www.flexotechmag.com Sales executive: Debbie Bridgland
+44 (0)1892 514991 Production manager: Adrian Jackson
Published by Whitmar Publications Ltd Production assistant: Jamie Bristow

Printed and bound by The Buxton Press,
Derbyshire
© FlexoTech 2014
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system

or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photographic, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the publishers.
Copies of this Handbook can be purchased at £20 +VAT

in the UK, £25 in Europe and £35 for the rest of the
world, including P&P, with discounts available for multiple
copies. Please contact Lindsey Pearson on
+44 (0)1892 514991 or lindsey.p@whitmar.co.uk.
LumiArt 100 gsm and 300 gsm substrates have been used in the printing
of this handbook, supplied by Stora Enso.
Foreword
This essential handbook has been published as
a handy compendium to FlexoTech magazine.
It provides a snapshot of the state of the flexo
market via a number of opinions from the
national flexographic associations and the
Welsh College of Coating & Printing, along with
input from various suppliers. There is also an
updated Dictionary of Printing Terms for
Flexographers which describes the most
commonly used terms in flexo and packaging
printing. We hope you find this compendium
useful and welcome any feedback and comments.
Contents
Reflections on the current state of the art in flexography 9
Packaging trends 14
Views from the Flexographic Technical Associations 17– 30
A word from your suppliers 32 – 65
Dictionary of Printing Terms 67 –146

If you want to control your Anilox rolls,
Gravure cylinders and/or Flexoplates . . .
Roll History Report on Volume, Wear, Variance and Consistency
Date Examiner 1 2 3 4 5 = cm3/m2 Variance Capacity

Reference: 28/04/2012 Phil James 5.1 5.2 5.3 = 5.2 4% 100%
Historical: 10/07/2014 Phil James 4.7 4.2 4.4 = 4.4 11% 85%
15/10/2013 Tim Collings 4.8 4.5 4.8 = 4.7 6% 90%
10/02/2013 Jon Jordan 5.1 4.8 5.2 = 5.0 8% 97%
26/06/2012 Phil Hall 5.1 5.0 5.2 = 5.1 4% 96%
1 Blackworth Court Tel: +44 (0) 1793-766-355

Blackworth Industrial Estate Fax: +44 (0) 1793-766-356
Highworth, Wiltshire, SN6 7NS info@troika-systems.com
United Kingdom www.troika-systems.com
Reflections on the current
state of the art in flexography
Flexo is a dynamic, advancing
printing process. Printers are looking for
ways for their product to create a better
impact while using fewer materials and
minimising waste. There is the opportunity
to add value by combining print with
new media, including printed electronics,
security features or sensors. By Prof Tim initial study closed cell geometries. It looked
at repeatability, the variation in measurements
Claypole, director of WCPC and research
from a single operator and instrument under
professor, Swansea University. the same conditions and reproducibility, the
variation from different operators using the
T he Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating

(WCPC) is one of the world’s leading
centres for research and development of print-
same instrument measuring the same engrav-
ing. This first study produced copious amounts
of data as there were six measurement systems
ing and coating processes. Its comprehensive with four operators (two experienced and two
laboratories are fully equipped for sample newly trained) measuring 11 cell volumes on
analysis and characterisation of material different anilox diameters to represent the cells
properties relevant to the print process. Further- used on large format corrugated presses, wide
more, the WCPC has installed a four station to mid-web and narrow web. The Micrody-
roll to roll flexographic press, a two station namics 3DQC and the Troika AniCAM gave
sheet fed lithographic press, pad, inkjet and the most consistent and repeatable operator
screen printing equipment, for use in funda- independent results. It was even possible to
mental research, industrial prototyping and identify a slight difference in volume around
materials development. the circumference, possibly due to local wear.
The introduction of new and frequently
Research into ink metering proprietary ‘open cell’ anilox technologies has
The anilox is the heart of the printing press, highlighted the need to identify the key geo-
metering the ink to the plate. It is a key compo- metric parameters that define the anilox sur-
nent for consistency. Yet, it is also a potential face structure in a way that relates to its ability
source of waste as changing an anilox, even to transfer ink to the plate. As a first step, the
to one of the same nominal volume, can mean FTA Flexo Quality Consortium revisited its
colours have to be adjusted as the amount of study, but this time looking at three of the com-
ink transferred is different. One of the major mon open cell designs – channel, elongated
issues is that the definition of the volume of hex and trihelical. Four anilox roller manu-
the cells is ill-defined. The nominal volume can facturers: ARC, Harper, Interflex and Praxair
depend on the method of measurement and provided banded anilox with combinations
even which operator. of engravings covering a range of equivalent
Since 2009, the FTA Flexo Quality Consor- volumes. An initial screening experiment with
tium has been undertaking an in-depth gauge all the previous measurement systems showed
R&R comparison of the different cell volume the Troika AniCAM and the Microdynamics
measurement techniques that are commercially 3DQC system were again the most consistent,
available and used by the flexo industry. The but the volumes were different to those quoted
The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 9

by the suppliers. So in the spring of 2014, a then an algorithm to relate the cell geometry to
comprehensive set of measurements were then the ink release. To this end the WCPC Advanc-
undertaken on three nominal volumes for each ing Printing and Coatings Network (APN) is
of the engravings at three locations around the funding an engineering doctorate to study the
circumference (to eliminate the effects of vari- ink release and the effect of cell geometry on
ation in engraving) with four operators (two filling and release. The objective of the APN is
experienced and two novice) with the 3DQC to expand the coherent volume of under pin-
and the AniCAM plus the liquid volume for ning science and its application for benefit of
comparison as it is still one of the most com- the printing industry. The APN’s activities are
monly systems used by printers and suppliers. funded by industry via a membership fee.
Other projects
Another APN project, which is
reaching a significant mile-
stone, is on plate cell pattern-
ing. Anja Hamblyn is in the
process of final analysis and
write up of a three-year study
of the impact of plate geometry
on ink release. This built on
an earlier study funded by the
Welsh Government Knowledge
Exchange Project programme.
All forms of plate cell patterns
were evaluated. With close
control of impression pressure,
Anilox volume measurement comparisons
Ms Hamblyn was able to trans-
The bar chart for the 30° channel is typical

fer an image of the patterns
onto the substrate. So she focused on the pro-
T
of the results of this study. The blocks rep- file of the dot and its ability to hold ink. White T
resent the average difference compared to light interferometer measurements seem to
the nominal value, whilst the line represents indicate that flat top dots are perhaps not flat,
the standard deviation of the measurements. but have a geometry which confines the ink. Tr
There is a large spread of results with the However, if you apply too much pressure then •
liquid volume method, so it should only be the ink squeezes out and you have a halo. Of •
considered approximate, unless three to five course there is also a strong interaction with
multiple repeat measurements are taken, in the physical properties of the ink (surface
•
which case the accuracy would be the same tension, viscosity and elasticity).
as a single measurement with the AniCAM or S
the 3DQC. These two systems were in agree- •
ment for the closed cells and are consistent,
but there are systematic differences compared
•
to the manufacturers’ specification. This can •
probably be attributed to the difference in the
measurement algorithms used to calculate the F
volume by the measurement systems and the
method employed by the manufacturers. To L
enable the comparison and interchange of
closed and open cell aniloxes, what is needed F
are standard definitions for the cell geometries Test prints using functional inks for
which can be verified by measurement and printed electronics Flin
Gu
T+
10 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing
ww
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speed, continuous features, resolution and
‘soft’ impression. Amongst the challenges to
be met are the polymer image carriers which
can be dissolved by some of the aggressive
chemicals in printed electronics and the de-
mands for fine resolution (<30µm) and register
(<10µm) so electronic devices can be made.
However, there is a real
problem in printing wide
lines and pads. As the plate
engages with the substrate,
the functional ink is forced
to the side by the plate.
While the fine lines tend to
recover to a single line, two
disconnected narrow lines
can be formed instead of a
Flexo has proven ideal for printing RFID aerials single wide line (two for the price of one is not
good news for electronics) and the ink for the
Is the world wide web a threat or an oppor- pad is left all around the edge. The net effect
tunity? There is a pan European Networking can be high resistance and loss of function.
project under the COST action FP1104 ‘New Key to overcoming this is plate profile (where
possibilities for print media and packaging the fundamental work of Ms Hamblyn
– combining print with digital’. This aims will feed in), impression forces and
to stimulate discussion on the benefits that ink rheology.
may be achieved from innovations that In printing RFID aerials, in a
make use of print and electronic me- recent study at the WCPC,
dia. Several examples exist where flexo came out on top. It
successful combinations gave the closest match
have been achieved, eg of performance to
through the use of image simulations, probably
recognition, augmented because of the
reality or printed electron- smoothness of the
ics to bring interactiv- ink lay down. The
ity into products. This current research
network has been running is on a transpar
for two years. It has ent ‘watermark’
already successfully run a aerial for
summer school on printable printing over
electronics in Swansea and graphics. It has potential
the workshops are starting to applications in security and
spawn collaborative projects anti-counterfeiting.
which could increase the future The future for flexo is bright
demand for printed products. and exciting. Visit the WCPC website
There is also the opportunity for adding www.wcpcswansea.com or follow us on
functional materials for sensing or complete Twitter to keep up with new developments and
electronics as a way of creating new, networking opportunities. We are pleased to
innovative products. Flexo is being put have FlexoTech as our media partner.
forward as the volume R2R manufacturing
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The moment of truth
As the supermarket shelf has
become the ultimate battleground
for the consumer’s attention,
the moment of truth when one
product is chosen above others
and placed in the basket has
been much focused upon, with
packaging playing a vital role.
By Neel Madsen.
W hether it is five, seven or ten
© contrastwerkstatt
seconds it takes for the
consumer to decide which product
to choose, designers and brands
are putting a huge amount of time
and effort into getting the product
just right so it wins the battle on Decisions, decisions, decisions
the shelf.
Many other factors play a part in right across the multiple types of packaging,
creating brand recognition, or ‘brand love’ as from labels to shelf-ready corrugated, is essen-
they say, and the shopping experience is not tial, and just one of the many challenges that
always as straightforward as simply making a flexo printing has had to work hard to meet.
choice between competing products. We’ve all
been there, trying to do the shopping quickly Now trending
after work, or on a Saturday morning, with The opportunity to connect directly with the
screaming kids in tow or listening to other consumer has seen many examples of so-
people’s screaming kids, fighting the crowds called interactive packaging introduced. This
and generally not paying much attention. We is often in the form of a QR code, or a hidden
choose products out of habit, or because they code, that can be scanned by a mobile device
were on offer, or because they were in the and take the consumer straight to a dedicated
right place on the shelf at the right time. website which can provide more information
Even so, packaging is a unique opportunity about the product, present special offers or a
for the brand to communicate directly with the competition entry, and much much more. Most
consumer, who will be holding the product brands also connect via social media platforms
in their hand, so getting the design and the to collect ‘Likes’ on Facebook and followers on
printing right is crucial. We all naturally equate Twitter, again increasing the feeling of belong-
high quality packaging with high quality prod- ing and familiarity that is so crucial to brands.
ucts. Just imagine if cars came wrapped in In terms of packaging materials, we are
printed packaging or a nice big box – I’m sure seeing high quality corrugated and folding
that sports cars would come in an all singing cartons on the rise, while filmic substrates and
all dancing highly decorated piece of packag- plastics are being ‘light-weighted’ to save on
ing that you would want to keep! materials, transportation costs and reduce
Containment, identification and providing waste. Sustainability has become a major
information are of course the basic functions issue, both during the production and printing
of packaging, but we all know there is ‘a bit’ process, and in choice of materials used, with
more to it today. Getting the brand colours stringent legislation on recycling targets and

waste being introduced by the authorities. The luxury and premium brands market
Brand owners and retailers need to be seen to is booming but still has to keep an eye on
be ‘green’ and comply with regulations, and sustainability – done perhaps by turning being
in turn now examine every part of the value green into the selling point by using high end
chain closely, putting pressure on all players. recycled materials that make the consumer feel
Some packaging performs a secondary virtuous and good about themselves.
function above containment. This can be in The packaging is now such an integral part
the form of portion control/measuring device, of the purchasing experience extending the
cooking containers or mixing bowl, or heat- brand mythology and value, that it becomes
sensitive materials that warn the user, to name difficult to dispose of ‘the box it came in’
but a few. Some new types of packaging can because the box just looks too good to throw
slow down the decay of fresh produce and away or even has its own functionality
extend in-home life as well as include a fresh- or uniqueness.
ness indicator to tell you when a product is no
longer safe to eat. Process control
For the printer, this all means more but smaller
Our changing world jobs coming through their facility, higher
The supermarket landscape has changed and demands on quality, faster turnaround and
keeps changing. Shorter and shorter produc- less waste. As always, costs must be low while
tion runs has become common as more SKUs quality remains high, and it has to be
and micro brands find their way onto the shelf. delivered yesterday.
Products come in an infinite variety of flavours Flexo has taken on this challenge and we
(apparently there is a demand for 45 different are seeing more and more presses developed
types of yoghurt) and in different sizes to cater to print shorter runs, cut costs and eliminate the
for the fickle consumer and also to the changes amount of waste created by performing fast
in our life style, size of households and rise set up and changeovers. Suppliers of plates,
in average age of population. The number of aniloxes, inks, tapes and other consumables
different product lines has also increased in the work hard to provide products that enable the
average store. control of what was once a process with many
More convenience food is available than unpredictable variables, but is today a finely
ever, as are health drinks, low fat high GI tuned packaging printing method that turns
foods, food for babies and children, etc, etc. out reliable, high quality end results that fill
Then we have seasonal products and various the shelves in supermarkets and
promotions for sporting events or just special shops everywhere.
offers. There’s big family packs or small on-the-
go containers – the same product packaged in
so many different ways – and it all has
to be printed.
Keeping the box

The market is also experiencing
a huge growth in luxury
packaging, with premium
brands on the rise. High end
products demand high end
packaging and in this arena
newer technologies really come
© Rawpixel
into their own as print runs are Did you keep the box it came in?
often short and time to
market reduced.

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The state of flexo: a word from
your friendly associations
As the European flexo associations sales channels driving smaller format stores,
gear up to launch ‘FTA Europe’, we smaller packs and growth in online sales,
asked the industry bodies in a number which provide lots of challenges for packag-
ing print development and innovation. We are
of countries to comment on the current
also starting to see the emergence of aug-
state of flexography in their markets mented reality at a commercial level, where
as well as explain what they offer to the role of print will become more important as
their members. a link between the real and the digital world.
Technology will drive new print opportunities
The national flexographic associations perform
for our industry and it is also clear that true
an important role in offering their members a
innovation today is about the functionality of a
central point of information, training and
pack not just the graphic look and feel.
support. Here we give them a chance to
speak up and present themselves to a
The increasing demand of consumers for
wider audience.
value for money means that developments are
channelled to two key areas of innovation.
United Kingdom Manufacturers are bringing new workflows to
There has been market to both improve graphic reproduction
much debate on and to make the packaging production process
the state of the more efficient. Recent innovation in ink, anilox
flexographic print roller, tape, plate, press and digital workflow
industry in the technologies are often used in combination
UK amongst the by flexo printers to facilitate four colours in a
membership of ‘fixed colour palette’ printing methodology.
EFIA – is it mature or still a high growth vibrant
market sector? The resounding view of EFIA Finally, at a more local level, we continue to
is that it is still a growth market with plenty see consolidation of the print supply base,
of opportunities for change and innovation, further investment in new flexo capacity and
despite lack lustre performance throughout this some investment in digital, but only to comple-
unprecedentedly long recession. ment the high volume market that flexo supplies
today. The belief is that the value proposition
The board’s opinion is that there continues of flexo continues to stand strong in what are
to be major social and technological trends becoming fragmented, high speed, fast turna-
emerging that will fundamentally drive innova- round markets and therefore the future for flexo
tion in the flexo printing world. For example, remains positive, upbeat and competitive.
© daboost - Fotolia.com
the growth in the number of aging consumers,

with increasing disposable income, influences Flexography continues to be the print technol-
the design and development of new packaging ogy of choice for packaging and its future
solutions such as innovative packs requiring is bright!
smart indicators and larger fonts on packs.
About EFIA
There is also the increase in omni-channel re- The European Flexographic Industry Associa-
tailing – consumers shopping around multiple tion (EFIA) is a leading UK trade association

that acts as a unified process control,
voice for the flexog- innovations in col-
raphic printing industry. our management,
Today chaired by Dr and the need for a
David Galton of Asahi well-trained, highly
Photoproducts UK, it was founded in 1972 skilled workforce
and now has over 300 company members and are just some of
an elected board drawn from all aspects of the the challenges facing the flexographic printing
membership. The membership is made up of industry today.
printers, designers, repro houses, platemakers,
machinery suppliers, ink manufacturers, mate- So how does an organisation, whether it be
rial suppliers and technology companies. a flexographic printer/converter, pre-press
provider, print buyer, supplier or distributor,
The mission of the trade association is to keep in tune with an industry that is always in
communicate and celebrate the advancement motion, always moving forward, much like the
of the flexographic process and to collectively components of the very presses on which they
add value through training, education and build their businesses?
knowledge. EFIA offers a range of services
and events throughout the year. These include They turn to the source for all things flexo,
the provision of training and education of the the global leader committed to the pursuit of
entire print supply chain from concept designer flexographic excellence, the authority whose
to printer to retailer, through its development of mission is to position flexography as the pack-
the EFIA Academy – an online modular flexo aging industry’s print process of choice … the
training solution accredited by The National Flexographic Technical Association (FTA).
Skills Council. Multiple exhibitions and work-
shops are also attended or run by the EFIA About the FTA
board to market and promote the benefits of Founded in 1958, the
the flexographic process. FTA was the brainchild
of a small group of
The highlight of the year is the Annual EFIA pioneering minds.
Print Awards Recognition Programme and They knew the positive impact a community of
Gala Dinner, a leading industry networking shared information and idea exchange would
and recognition event in the flexo calendar, have to advance the young industry. The result
where over 500 flexo employees meet to is now a strong association that serves an
celebrate their success. Finally, EFIA provides industry that is responsible for better than 60%
ongoing technical support and guidance to of the world’s printed packaging with output
this dynamic growth industry through lectures, valued at $150 billion+ in the US alone.
seminars and publications.
The FTA’s first formal membership roster topped
For more information, please contact Debbie 190 companies. 300 delegates attended its
Waldron-Hoines admin@efia.uk.com or deb- initial technical meeting. Today, the official
bie@avant-tout.com, or visit membership roster includes 1400+ companies
www.efia.uk.com. representing 52,000 individuals worldwide.
Virtually every facet of the flexographic supply
United States chain is embodied in its roll call, including
The future is approaching with remarkable narrow web, mid web and wide web printers/
speed, bringing with it new challenges in the converters, as well as print buyers, suppliers,
way the flexographic industry conducts its busi- pre-press providers, brand management firms,
ness. New advancements in presses and press designers, graphics firms, distributors and
componentry, ever evolving best practices for educators/students.

The association’s priority is to ensure its ben- Germany
efits are aligned with the needs of its members Claiming once
and the industry as a whole. This means again that
regularly refining, updating and adding to, flexography
its extensive list of member offerings, such as has achieved a
networking, training, education, publications, substantial leap
and recognition. forward in technol-
ogy or quality
The last five years have seen record growth would almost be an understatement at this
in FTA event attendee/exhibitor participation, point in time. Just in the past year, we have
with more than 10,000 delegates turning out seen a significant increase in print quality and
for the annual Forums, INFO*FLEX exhibitions stability, despite of the already high standards,
and fall conferences. These offer the opportu- here in Germany. Particularly the DFTA Tech-
nity to forge new partnerships, boost visibility, nology Center in Stuttgart has made important
and become informed of new markets, con- contributions. Two of them must be named
sumer trends, and standards and controls. explicitly: DFTA Planoflex and DFTA Screen
v4. However, the DFTA Technology Center
The association also offers the FIRST Certifica- is also in the middle of the system vendor
tion programme, an online training initiative. developments, as they all use the centre’s press
To date, more than 3400 individuals have for their scientific print experiments. These
been trained through the FTA’s TEST (Technical further technologies also displayed promising
Education Services Team) campus, with some advancements during those experiments.
650 going on to achieve one or more of the
four available certifications (FIRST Press, Pre- The aforementioned novelties introduced by
press, Implementation Specialist and Company the system vendors show that the established
certifications). HD Flexo technologies do indeed still carry
high potential for positive innovation. It is the
A thriving and continually evolving industry technologies that structure the surface of the
demands a wealth of educational resources. printing elements with the target of increasing
The FTA’s complete resource library, avail- ink transfer and/or laying down the ink more
able in multiple formats and languages, offers smoothly that give us the promise of beautiful
something for every level of flexographer. Titles new possibilities in printing solids. However, it
include Flexography: Principles & Practices is still true that those so-called flat-top technolo-
(now in its sixth edition), and FIRST (Flexog- gies, whilst promoting ink transfer in solids,
raphic Image Reproduction Specifications & are inferior to the round top technologies when
Tolerances) which is currently being updated it comes to printing the most delicate
and expanded for release later this year. Fur- halftone highlights.
thermore, the FTA offers an extensive collection
of publications to keep its members informed, The new flexo application named DFTA
including FLEXO Magazine. Planoflex has attracted a lot of positive
attention initially. As interesting as this technol-
The FTA Awards offers recognition to the indus- ogy study may be, however, it still appears to
try. Over the last five years some 700 awards be too advanced to be used immediately by
were bestowed for printing excellence, techni- most of the market participants. DFTA
cal innovation, and sustainability excellence. Planoflex simply seems to be an overkill for
most printers today.
For more information, please contact member-
ship manager Susan Demato on +1 (631) 737 All the more promising and immediately ap-
6020 ext 11, sdemato@flexography.org or plicable is the new DFTA Screen v4, which
visit www.flexography.org. currently conquers the market in Germany.

With conventional technologies and only a The DFTA’s Technology Center (DFTA-TZ) at
newly developed halftone screen structure, it the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart offers
achieves a quality that would have been possi- an application-oriented focus on research as
ble only with gravure or offset until recently. Its well as education and training in the field of
linear gradation enables the usage of image flexo printing. The centre has full flexography
files from other printing methods most directly production facility (pre-press and printing
without the usual heavy retouching otherwise press) for real simulation and testing of eg new
required for flexographic printing in the inks and substrates. Companies can use this
champion’s class. A very powerful tool to bring facility for testing without interrupting their own
cost under better control while still achieving production process.
improved print quality.
The DFTA also provides material, financial sup-
In summarising, the DFTA believes in a very port to the image enhancement and develop-
brilliant future for flexography in Germany ment of flexographic printing process.
and central Europe. Achieving print qualities
comparable to other printing methods is no The association focuses on networking; devel-
longer a question of monetary investments in opment and standardisation of flexographic
latest technologies. This is why predictions of printing; development of improved methods to
the future in this case are quite easy to make: increase the print quality; providing techni-
HD Flexo quality including DFTA Screen v4 will cal training and study opportunity; support of
spread further over Europe. We are already research and development; support of training
crossing the doorstep towards being able and education; and effective cooperation
to run gravure jobs in flexo on an everyday between suppliers and printing companies.
basis without sacrificing any quality and still
maintaining the bonuses of flexography: much Activities include three or four events a year
higher flexibility and a more favourable cost with a lot of experts, eg symposia on current
structure. Flexography is on its way to becom- topics to discuss and solve practical questions
ing the dominant packaging printing process! of flexo printing; training workshops at the
Technology Center as well as special events,
About the DFTA such as ProFlex, DFTA Award, ‘Best
Based in Stuttgart, Trainee’, etc.
the DFTA Flexo
druck Fachverband For more information, please contact
eV is a flexography association for European +49 (711) 67960-0, dfta@dfta.de or visit
and German companies, such as suppliers, www.dfta.de. The DFTA Technology Center
pre-press and printing companies. It represents can be contacted on +49 (711) 678960 or
more than 300 companies, making it one of info@dfta.de.
the largest associations in Europe.
Italy
Exchanging information and experience The Italian flexo
between its members is a key aspect of the market is very ac-
association’s work. Founded in 1979 as an tive with more than
institutionalised platform for discussion, the 1600 flexographic
DFTA has made a significant contribution to the printing companies
further development of this printing process. supplying the local
market and as well
In the interest of the entire industry, the as- as the European one.
sociation works where the possibilities of the
individual company are limited or joint task Flexography in Italy has grown dramatically in
performance appears more economical. the last 10 years to display an extremely high

level of print quality due to the high Since 2007, it has been organising an annual
performance of the presses and the demand Flexo Day event, which gathers more than 300
for shorter runs from the end user. professionals from the Italian
flexographic industry.
Today the average flexo press in the market
prints eight colours and we predict that nine or For more information, please contact director
10 colours will become the norm in the near Monica Scorzino on +39 02 4981051, info@
future. Italian companies continue to invest, atif.it, or visit www.atif.it.
and in the last five years, more than 120 new
flexo printing presses, both CI wide web and Spain
narrow web, have been installed. In the early 1980s,
a small group
The packaging market is growing more than of flexographic
© Les Cunliffe - Fotolia.com
3% per year. Corrugated board is the major printers with their

market in terms of market share while film and colleague suppliers
labels are growing. of machines and
consumables set
New applications such as variable data and out to create an association in the image and
personalisation are increasingly demanded likeness of the one operating in the USA.
from the packaging market and with the
installation of one digital printhead at the end After a few meetings, those pioneers of
of the press, flexo technology can be com- associative practice considered to gather the
bined with digital to produce a new product whole profession in an institutional setting that
and meet these demands. Atif, with the would raise the development and promotion of
cooperation of universities and press suppliers, a system to serve effectively the industry which
is paying special attention to new flexo printed prints in different supports of plastic or paper
applications outside the packaging sector, such manufacturing origin to different destinations
as in electronics, biomedical or other industrial and uses entity and demand: flexible packag-
applications. Another interesting development ing, shopping bags, wallpaper, wrapping
is the possibility to print using ink with solvent, paper, brochures, pre-press for corrugated,
water, UV and EB base. folding cartons, envelopes, labels ….. and
even books and newspapers.
About Atif
Atif, the Italian Techni- After more than 30 years, flexography has
cal Association for the a machinery and industrial fabric of the first
Development of Flexog- magnitude, in Spain, in the EU and the rest
raphy, was founded in of the world. And what is more: flexography
1982. In 2006, it be- stands as the most balanced and advanta-
came an associate member of Assografici, the geous system (price-performance) streamlining
Italian Printing and Paper Converting Industries production schedules and job changes, which
Association. It has 55 member companies, is essential in a commercial context in which
mainly technology manufacturers, consumable customers asks for a quick response to
suppliers and pre-press companies. their needs.
Atif organises technical seminars and training With regards to flexography in Spain, it is
classes, and publishes technical papers includ- noteworthy that there is an increasing concen-
ing the ‘Guidelines for flexo printing’, which is tration of the industry in large companies and
regularly revised and updated. a significant increase in production in the food
packaging (with ever shorter runs). Another
segment that is growing is flexographic

printing of paper bags, due to the strict packaging print-
© somartin - Fotolia.com
legislation on plastic bags for single use. ing. The categories
This is generating more business and therefore of materials are
more flexographic printing. Other printing mainly paper, film,
methods are moving to flexography printing, aluminium foil,
although digital printing is threatening a small cartonboard
part of the flexographic sector. and corrugated.
About ATEF Despite the current difficult economic situation

ATEF is a section of in France, the flexo market is showing an annu-
the Spanish Associa- al growth of around 4%. In recent years many
tion of suppliers to the new players have appeared mainly moving
printing, packaging from rotogravure and offset to flexo – seizing
and POS industries (Asociacion Graphispack), the printing process; often very successfully.
which brings significant added value to the
associative practice because it joins together Multinationals are very much present in the
business and professional tissue that requires French market, but many restricted structures or
a scenario in which to share experiences, family groups/companies increase the compe-
identify emerging needs and new trends, tition and the variety of the offering.
and teach new generations of techniques or
facilitate ongoing training of specialists who More than ever the market is focusing on
are active in the sector. the printing of packaging particularly for the
food industry – this is where we see the main
Any company that supplies equipment or customers – trusting flexo more and more
materials for flexography or printing by this to contribute to an increase in print quality.
procedure, may consider ATEF its association, This has been enabled by the many technical
benefiting from the general services provided innovations that the sector has seen in recent
to members attached. years as well as the high level of competence
of the printers.
Today ATEF has 75 members, including print-
ers and suppliers, and it is a fully consolidated Is flexo in France a mature market? … Not
association gaining more adherents at both so sure!
printers and suppliers.
About ATF Flexo
The association has a defined programme The Association
of activities perfectly fitted to the needs and Technique Française
aspirations of the sector through its biennial de Flexographie,
Technical Conference and biennial National or ATF Flexo, was
Flexography Competition as well as a solid founded in 1982 by
and dynamic fair projection with Graphispag some visionaries who foresaw a bright future
(suppliers) and Hispack (printers). for the printing process and thought that the
profession would gain from joining together.
For more information, please contact Over the years the association has evolved to
+34 932 332 250/251 or increasingly meet the needs of its members by
master@graphispack.org. providing them with strong support.
France The purpose of the association is to promote

The flexography market in France covers a and develop flexography, in particular the use
significant number of different sectors, with a of flexographic printing in all sectors where
large proportion of these specialised in this process is present.

The ATF constitutes the essential link between Russia
© somartin - Fotolia.com
the suppliers in flexography, including printing Flexography

press manufacturers, inks suppliers, plate sup- in its present
pliers, etc, and the current or potential users of form appeared
the process as well as other stakeholders. in the USSR in
the mid 1980s,
Among the missions of the ATF Flexo are: when Polymerbyt
• To carry out or have carried out enterprise in Moscow first installed DuPont
economic surveys as well as technical and platemaking equipment and a W&H wide web
marketing research flexo press.
• To organise working groups to study
problems of general interest: technical, However, the real development of the flexo
training, communication market started after the fall of the ruble during
• To determine and/or promote printing the Russian Financial Crisis 1998. As food
quality standards (range of controls, test imports fell, the volume of domestic food
formes, fingerprinting, etc). production increased dramatically. As a conse-
quence, labels and flexible packaging produc-
The current membership is 63 which includes tion, mostly flexo, grew rapidly. For the next
design and advertising agencies, training cen- 10 years until the next global economic crisis
tres and schools, repro houses (14%), suppliers in 2008, the packaging market as a whole
of inks, mounting tape, printing plates, anilox grew an estimated 10–12%, with the market
rollers, etc (41%), and printers (40%). growth of flexography exceeding these figures.
The estimated share of flexo in the total output
The board is composed of a national president of printed products reached 18%, bearing in
and four vice-presidents who represent print- mind the technology is only used in labels and
ers, suppliers, photoengravers, and technical packaging.
staff. The president and vice-presidents rely on
a council of about 20 people as well as sub- In the past three years, the growth of the pack-
committees in charge of training, technical and aging market is estimated at a modest 2–3%,
communication, and the organisation of the which corresponds to the rate of development
FLEXOSTARS event. of most manufacturing industries.
The activity of the ATF is organised around The capacity of the Russian packaging market
key events allowing the promotion of the in 2013 amounted to $16.5 billion, including
flexographic process throughout the year. ATF flexible plastic packaging of $3.47 billion,
FLEXO days enables the development of techni- packaging paper and cardboard $5.94
cal topics in relation to the Annual National billion. Annual flexible packaging printing pro-
Congress. The congress is an opportunity to duction is estimated at 400,000 tons, worth
exchange knowledge and experience on a $2.35 billion.
major technical theme. This is followed by the
FLEXOSTARS gala evening, which celebrates The number of flexible packaging printing
the best in flexo printing and innovation. companies is 150–200. The largest are Danaf-
lex, in Kazan, Multiflex, Fleksoprint and Edas
For more information, please contact Minna Pak, in Moscow, POF-Flexo and Conflex, in St.
Belli on +33 (0)1 45 44 33 99, Petersburg, Mondi, in Pereslavl, Yaroslavl re-
atf@atf-flexo.com or visit gion, Uralplastik, in Ekaterinburg, and Gotek-
www.atf-flexo.com. Polypack, in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region.
The Russian label market in 2013 is estimated

at $475 million. From the late 1990s to the

mid-2000s, the label market grew very fast than 30% of the market), Siegwerk (19%) and
at up to 20% per year. However, in the last Sun Chemical (17%). Companies from Turkey
two or three years, the market has reached and China are also very active in the market,
saturation and growth has stalled at a modest while a few domestic inks producers
increase of not more than 1–2% a year. The are developing.
number of label printers in Russia is between
450 and 500 companies. Among the largest Printing equipment, as well as converting and
is Okil, Alaska Poligrafoformlenie, and X- extrusion equipment, is almost exclusively im-
Label, in St. Petersburg, Taflex, in Kazan, and ported. In 2012, 194 units of flexo equipment
Imagency and CCL-Kontur, in Moscow. worth €61.8 million were imported. This rose
in 2013 to 232 units worth €71.4 million.
All the major manufacturers of self-adhesive The largest share of wide web flexo press
materials are active in Russia, including UPM installations belongs to Bobst, W&H, Bielloni
Raflatac, Avery Dennison, and Ritrama. The and Soma. In recent years, Comexi and Uteco
most common type of labels is self-adhesive, have also installed many presses. There is also
with so-called dry label gradually reduced some growth in the economy-class equipment
in market share. Shrink sleeves and in-mould market from Chinese companies, and this
labels production is experiencing considerable proportion is growing every year.
growth as is multilayer labels.
The narrow web press market is also domi-
In the corrugated sector, mainly small nated by large global manufacturers, including
companies and departments of large food and Gallus, Mark Andy, Nilpeter, Gidue, MPS,
consumer goods producers are engaged in Omet, and Labelmen.
printing. Mostly this is one or two colour print-
ing on slotting presses equipped with flexo sec- (Note: This information has been collated by
tions. However, there are some large produc- the editor of Flexo Plus/Packaging
ers of corrugated packaging with high quality International magazine in Russia. As there are
multi-colour flexo printing. These include Stora no official statistics or data available on the
Enso, Gotek, and Remos-Alpha. The market number of companies in the industry and their
for corrugated (with or without printing) is activities, almost all of the presented data are
estimated at 4.6 million expert estimations.)
square metres.
About the Russian FTA
A few dozen platemaking houses work suc- The Russian non-commercial Association of
cessfully, producing more than 50% of all flexo Flexography (Russian FTA) was established in
plates. The remaining 50% is made in house. 1998, by Moscow University of Printing and
Annual import of flexographic plates is about Kursiv Publishing House.
240,000 square meters as there is no produc-
tion of photopolymer materials for flexo in Rus- The association is currently dormant, but the
sia. Among the largest repro companies are president can be contacted for further informa-
Repropark, Tampomechanica, Optimasmart tion: Nina V Shapinova, dipl. engineer, editor,
and Color Standard Service, which account for Flexo Plus & Packaging International
about 40% of the market. Major suppliers of magazine, tel +7 495 617 6652,
flexo photopolymers are DuPont (about 50% of nina@kursiv.ru.
the market), Flint Group, MacDermid, Kodak
and Toyobo. Poland
The development of the consumer market in
In 2013, Russian companies imported some Poland in the last 20 years is directly related
15.5 tons of inks worth more than €64 million. to the production of consumer goods, and con-
The biggest suppliers are Flint Group (more sequently the development of the labels and

packaging indus- (magnetic and printing cylinders + rotary dies),
try. The constant Infosystems (MIS), LigumPol (doctor blades and
improvement in the printing cylinders), Zaklad Mechaniczny Roller
quality, consistency (presses for corrugated plus slitting, die-cutting
of colours and re- and folding equipment), Tewex (anilox rollers),
peatability of flexo- and Nikelman (narrow web CI presses).
graphic printing is
attracting an increasing number of clients, not The future is likely to bring steady growth of
only from the food industry but also cosmetics, flexography, but there is a challenge from digi-
household, construction, gardening, etc. tal printing. There will also be more stringent
food safety regulations and environmental
Today flexo dominates in flexible packaging, restrictions.
corrugated, labels and is present in folding
cartons plus tissues, paper sacks or envelopes. About the PLFTA
The Polish Flexographic
Improvements in all stages of the flexo process, Association (PLFTA) was
including pre-press (extended gamut, digital established in 1995
plates, flat-top dots), and in the pressroom with by 50 business firms
gearless presses, automatic set up and regis- and public institutions
tration, inspection, monitoring of ΔE, anilox representing pre-press
rollers, and inks, have enabled flexo to claim a trade shops, printers,
larger share of the high quality printing market suppliers and educa-
segment once exclusively occupied by offset tional institutions.
and rotogravure printing. These factors have
enabled the steady development of the flexog- In September 2012, 105 founding members
raphic process in Poland for many years. declared a statute setting up the Polish Cham-
ber of Flexographers (Polska Izba Flekso-
Development is understood as an increase in grafów). This was a logical consequence of
market share, a higher number of technolo- the dynamic growth of flexography in Poland
gies, a bigger and more diversified production and gave the association the legal status of
profile, an improvement in quality evidenced ‘chamber’, which enables a better, more clear
by jobs moving from gravure and offset to recognition of the organisation on the market.
flexo, the implementation of ISO standards,
HACCP, 5S or lean manufacturing. The chamber is an independent and self-sup-
porting organisation, which has a general as-
Polish flexography is also receiving internation- sembly of members, a board consisting of the
al recognition, most recently at the FlexoTech president, vice-president and seven members,
Awards 2013 where Firma Adam’s was a revision committee and a full-time director.
nominated, and at the FINAT Label Awards It organises an annual Flexographic Forum
2014 where Masterpress won in the shrink and holds regular seminars on various topics
sleeve category. as well as offering training.
There are some 260 flexo printers in Poland, Its main goals are (1) to raise a level of flexog-
divided into 100–120 in the narrow web sec- raphic knowledge among its associates, in the
tor, 90–100 in wide web, and 50–60 in corru- flexographic community as well as in design
gated post-print. The PLFTA with 53 associates studios, among brand owners and related
represents about 20% of this market. firms; (2) to integrate the flexographic com-
Manufacturers include Lesko Engineering (print- munity and increasing a number of members;
ing presses, die-cutting and inspection ma- (3) to offer training as a vocational public
chines for narrow web), Rotary Die Company education in flexography is not satisfactory

to meet requirements of the industry; (4) to international groups today help carry on the
publish reports on the Polish flexographic mar- traditions of Danish flexo. Around 80% of all
ket; (5) to establish a flexographic education flexo printing in the Danish packaging industry
centre in Poland; (6) to cooperate with foreign is sold abroad.
associations and institutions in the printing
and packaging industry; (7) to follow up on About Dansk Flexo Forum
the Flekso Grand Prix competition; and (8) to Dansk Flexo Forum
promote flexographic products at trade fairs (Danish Flexographic
and conferences both in Poland and abroad. Forum) was founded in
1988 with the aim to
For more information, please contact develop and strengthen
+48 22-644-76-30, biuro@flekso.pl, or visit the large flexo industry
www.flekso.pl. present in Denmark at the
time. It works to maintain
Denmark and develop the flexo
Denmark can knowledge that is inherent
proudly look back in the Danish companies
on the fact that to strengthen the competitiveness of its
the Danish flexo member companies.
industry played an
important part in To enhance the market position of the member
the development companies, the association offers a mix of
of flexo printing worldwide. Dynamic entrepre- technical and marketing lectures and presenta-
neurs developed flexography through innovations at the two annual seminars. Furthermore,
tion and perseverance, which helped raise it works in close cooperation with the other
the technology from mere ‘potato printing’ to Nordic flexo associations and holds a joint
a printing method, which matches offset and seminar every three years – AFF or Absolute
gravure in quality. Flexo Future. More than 300 people attended
the AFF14 seminar, which was held this year
At an early stage, DuPont discovered these in Lund, Sweden.
Danish entrepreneurs, and the first screen print
in flexo in the world with DuPont photopolymer The member companies consist of both con-
plates was printed in 1974 at the now closed verters and suppliers, and Dansk Flexo Forum
Vejle Plastik. The print was exhibited at the works to promote the influence of the convert-
Salon de Emballage in Paris, where it attracted ers in the organisation while at the same time
much attention. incorporating input from suppliers.
Early on, some of the Danish flexo entrepre- The number of individual members is presently
neurs targeted the label industry, and today 175 from 75 member companies.
Denmark has a number of world-class label
printing houses. Pre-press is also strongly For more information, please contact
represented through three large international dff@danskflexoforum.dk or visit
players. www.danskflexoforum.dk.
Two major players in the packaging industry Sweden

in particular, Raackmanns Fabrikker and Otto The Swedish flexographic industry is facing the
Nielsen, helped put Danish flexo on the world same tough competition as the rest of Europe.
map. Through the years, a number of acquisi- In Scandinavia, gravure has slowly disap-
tions and mergers have reduced the number of peared and today there are only a few ma-
small flexo enterprises in Denmark, but large chines left. If we go back 10 or 15 years, the

gravure industry in to a full print and packaging line. The centre is
Scandinavia was also used when we run technical seminars with
quite big and one theoretical lessons and practical demonstra-
of the biggest ex- tions. The latest seminar held was on the topic
porters of gravure- of flat-top dots where five different platemaking
printed packaging technologies were demonstrated live on the
to Europe. A large printing press. These meetings with theoretical
proportion of these jobs have been converted and practical demonstrations are very popular
to flexography. SweFlex and Broby Grafiska with members.
school have played a major part in this
change by doing test prints to support The board of the association often holds its
this conversion. meetings at member companies. This provides
very good information about what kind of sup-
The future of flexography in Sweden still looks port we can give our members.
promising due to new investments and strong
commitment from the industry. Together with Dansk Flexo Forum, Sweflex
arranges a joint seminar every three years enti-
About SweFlex tled Absolute Flexo Future (AFF). This has been
The Swedish Flexo- a great success story and the last meeting,
graphic Associa- AFF14, was attended by more than 300 peo-
tion (SweFlex) was ple, an impressive number for Scandinavia.
founded in 1995
and is an association for all players in the AFF14 was also the startup of a number of
flexographic business including educators. It projects to support the industry with the focus
is a meeting place for companies linked to the on productivity and quality. The seminar took
field of flexography. place in Lund, in Sweden, and included a visit
to the Tetra Pak facility.
SweFlex addresses the needs of the industry
with the aim of increasing the quality of educa- For more information, please contact :
tion by focusing on technology, competence +46 565 163 85, info@sweflex.com or visit
and networking. www.sweflex.com.
Today SweFlex has 92 members, and the Benelux

number is increasing. We have set ourselves The Benelux flexo market has seen an increase
the target of 100 member companies by the in industry consolidation and optimisation of
end of 2014. The label companies in Sweden the production process in recent years with the
have their own association and are not mem- number of suppliers and flexo
bers of SweFlex. printers declining.
The main focus for SweFlex is to support the The industry is also affected
industry with competence and networking. by a number of non-technical
We also support the flexographic school, developments, particularly in
Broby Grafiska, in Sunne, with competence, the international field and in
investments and networking. the area of environmental,
Every year we arrange at least one seminar taxation, and health and
focused on different topics that are important safety legislation. EFTA-Benelux
for the flexo industry. SweFlex is in a unique follows these developments
position as it has full use of the technical flexo closely and regularly informs
centre at Broby Grafiska, which include equip- and advises its members on
ment and software from design and pre-press these issues.

For many flexo printers it is difficult to find value to your company. EFTA-Benelux ensures
qualified employees. Therefore many compa- that employees are up-to-date on topics such
nies train their own staff and EFTA-Benelux as standardisation, knowledge of inks, anilox
helps its members to do this. The flexographic rollers, measurement and control of the whole
industry is an industry with a future, where printing process, etc.
there is always place for skilled workers and
people who are willing to learn. EFTA-Benelux organises many different events
and courses, such as the EFTA educational
EFTA-Benelux offers a great network to the courses in cooperation with the GOC in the
flexographic industry in the Benelux, which we Netherlands and in Belgium with Arteveldeho-
hope to expand over the next years to a more geschool, annual management and technical
European dimension. Many of our members seminars, an educational workflow course,
are part of multinational companies. EFTA- information meetings on hot industry issues,
Benelux actively supports the recent initiative of member meetings, etc.
some national associations in Europe to work
together on education, standardisation and For more information, please contact the
certification. EFTA-Benelux secretariat mail@efta.nl or visit
www.efta.nl.
About EFTA-Benelux
The European Flexo- Australia & New Zealand
graphic Technical The main change the Aus-
Association Benelux, tralian market has seen over
or EFTA-Benelux, is the past few years has been
the association for the heightened awareness
printers and suppliers in the Benelux countries, of cost improvement in digi-
which have specialised in the flexographic tal printing and the growing
printing process. Interested individuals and acceptance of flexo printing
institutions can also become members. against alternative printing
technologies, such as offset
Founded in 1981, EFTA-Benelux currently has and gravure.
around 90 members. Its primary objective is
to keep the industry up to date on the many The major high end and high volume narrow
technical developments and innovations within web customers in Australia have now adopted
the flexographic industry. Members value the digital printing giving them an alternative op-
sharing of knowledge and experience the tion when running production jobs. Despite this
association facilitates. This is also reflected shift and the increasing profitability available
in the main focus of the association, through the flexo process, there still remains
namely education. an ongoing shift from letterpress to flexo in the
narrow web market.
Within EFTA, we acknowledge the importance
of sharing knowledge and experience. We In the wide web market, there is still a high
invest heavily into the education of the employ- number of flexo presses which are scheduled
ees of our members, supported by suppliers to for installation late 2014 and throughout
the flexographic industry. Educating quali- 2015. Printers who have in the past focused
fied flexo printers and operators is of great on mid web printing are now working to offer
importance for the future of the flexographic their customer base a wider range of options
industry. Investing in training and the devel- through their ability to print to a much wider
opment of your employees is in everyone’s width. Printers are attempting to consolidate
interest. Well-trained employees work more their busineses and grow within their current
efficiently and effectively, and deliver higher customer base while at the same time through

the ongoing review of their business model The association consists of eight voluntary
maximise their profits. delegates who are duly elected to serve on the
council for a three year period. The only ex-
In discussing current flexo trends, the con- ception to this rule is the position of secretariat,
sensus of industry feedback indicates that which is a voluntary position similar to the
technology and automation are seen as the other delegates but based on an honorary po-
major areas of improvements. Automation of sition. Each person on the council has a nomi-
the printing process is largely credited with nated role. These include workshop/industry
reduction in waste, changeover times, and day coordinator, training coordinator, speaker
cost savings, while at the same time leading coordinator, apprentice of the year and forum
to an improved product overall. Developments coordinator. A range of sub-committees is also
in inks, plate and aniloxes from the main run by the ANZFTA and these serve to support
manufacturers continue to push the boundary the functions of each council member.
that has enabled the flexo process to replace
existing offset and even gravure work. With The ANZFTA has also built strategic alliances
ongoing market consolidation printers are with other worldwide associations especially
looking to maximise their profits and flexo still with the FTA in the United States. We always
remains the most common approach. have the apprentice winner attend the FTA
and report back at our local conference what
With the economy in turmoil, the aim is they have learnt that can be of benefit to the
profitability, and the means to profitability is local industry.
process efficiency. Getting the presses up and
running faster reduces raw material and en- At the same time the ANZFTA is exploring
ergy consumption, reduces the waste stream, synergies with other local associations. The
and improves press utilisation. Of course, a aim of working with other local associations is
press isn’t making money when it is producing to ensure that we meet the needs of the entire
scrap at 200 m/min. By verifying that quality printing industry through one solid associa-
parameters are met, printers have less internal tion rather than through a few small groups.
rejected material and fewer returned goods. This year we also opened up our local print
awards to include gravure printing. With the
About the ANZFTA three major flexo players in Australia and New
The Australia New Zealand also incorporating a gravure press,
Zealand Flexog- we hope that this decision encourages further
raphic Technical participation at our local workshops and
Association (ANZFTA) is a non-profit technical forums/conferences.
association of member companies which aim
to improve and enhance the flexographic print- South Africa
ing process. Its membership includes suppliers, Although the
end users, converters (printers), training institu- industry in South
tions and brand owners. Africa is mainly
small- to medium
The benefits of being a member include par- format based,
ticipation in workshops, scholarships eligibility, it also includes
magazine subscriptions, and discounted rates some of the largest
for the Annual Forum and Print Awards. packaging formats available.
The ANZFTA has a mission of providing
technical information, training, and a forum The wine label sector has migrated largely
for the exchange of ideas and solutions for from lithography to flexography over the years
the advancement of the flexographic and the quality being achieved is excellent
printing industry. and unequalled in other printing processes.

Folding cartons for the consumer and food The main objective of the association is to
sectors, such as detergent and cereal boxes, increase the technical knowledge, skills and
liquid packaging, etc, have also moved from expertise within the flexographic sector. Shar-
lithography to flexography with outstanding ing knowledge and uplifting skills by training,
quality, productivity and cost benefits. workshops and seminars, as well as interaction
with technical experts and other associations,
Marketing trends change regularly and we is one of the ongoing aims. Interaction with
have experienced some primary product pack- suppliers and trade media ensures that mem-
aging move from folding cartons to pouches or bers are made aware of the latest develop-
ziplock bags, whilst some products have made ments worldwide.
a comeback in paperboard; stackability and
shelf space in retail stores and supermarkets An annual Print Excellence competition
being the main motivator. The quality of ensures that flexographic printing excellence
corrugated cartons has become more is rewarded and that those printers that excel
demanding, with more process colour work at their task, are able to use these accolades
being experienced. and achievements to their advantage. These
annual awards also offer printers and suppli-
In general, the printing market in South Africa ers an opportunity to network, interact and
has not yet recovered from the global reces- share knowledge. Where possible, a technical
sions and whilst the weak currency makes seminar featuring both international and local
imports of equipment, materials, sundries and speakers, is presented in conjunction with the
fuel increasingly expensive, the instabilities ex- awards ceremony and visiting technical
perienced in the labour sector have a negative experts are encouraged to hold workshops
effect on foreign (and local) investments. As a with FTASA members.
result, capital investments for expansion have
been few and far between, but investments in Gold, silver and bronze award winners are
automation, labour saving and productivity given the opportunity to have their entries
enhancing equipment have been receiving submitted to the US FTA annual competition
greater attention. and often South African printers feature among
their gold and silver award winners, and oc-
It is estimated that there are about 150 to 180 casionally even best on show in a category.
formal flexographic printers in South Africa,
which include small flexographic label For more information, please contact executive
printers, and sticker printers abound in the secretary Erich Kühl on
informal sector. +27 (0)11 6647399,
opa.kuhl@gmail.com or visit
About the FTASA www.ftasa.org.za,
The Flexographic
Technical Associa-
tion of South Africa
(FTASA) was founded
in Cape Town on 5
December 1995. In 2005, the company
membership stood at 57 members, and
presently in 2014, there are 91 company
members of which 67 are printers,
manufacturers or converters, while the
remaining members are machine, substrate,
plate, ink, sundry or repro suppliers.

The magazine for the
packaging print industry
The FlexoTech Awards is one of

the most prestigious international
events, sponsored by leading
companies in the industry. Contact
Chloe Ward: +44 (0) 1892 779599
chloe.w@whitmar.co.uk
Editorial: +44 (0)1892 542099

Circulation: +44 (0)1892 514437
Advertising: +44 (0)1892 514991
www.flexotechmag.com
AC_A5 ADs_AW.indd 1 2014/07/16 12:36 PM AC_A5
12:36 PM AC_A5 ADs_AW.indd 2 2014/07/16 10:09 AM
Heading
A sahi Photoproducts UK is a subsidiary of

Asahi Kasei e-materials division. The Asahi
Kasei Corporation was founded in Japan in
processing. Suitable for a broad range of
applications due to its wide exposure latitude,
AFP avoids costly waste and downtime.
1931 and is now one of the leading chemical
companies in Asia. 28,000 employees work APR – Hydroflex: Making shelf-ready
in research, production, sales and applica- packaging a reality
tion technology including photopolymer plate For high quality printing on corrugated board,
development. Back integrated into polymer this liquid photopolymer plate technology
raw materials, Asahi chemically engineer its is a cost-effective and quick-to-manufacture
technology to deliver excellence in plate, which ensures outstanding results on all
plate innovation. surfaces and delivers solids avoiding wash
boarding particularly common when printing
Japanese technology/British technical with lower weight liner papers.
support & expertise
Headquartered in Shenfield, Essex, Asahi Backed by an expert team of engineers, who
Photoproducts UK supplies outstanding printing are also expert plate makers, Asahi Photoprod-
plates for the labels, tube, flexibles, carton, ucts UK delivers on press support to ensure
corrugated pre-print and post-print markets. right first time production, every time.
With a comprehensive range of butadiene-
based plate technologies, Asahi always
focuses on sustainable and environmentally
sound concepts which deliver value and mini-
mise costs and waste.
AWP: The best of the best

A best in class,
aqueous-based
sustainable plate
technology which
ensures outstanding
print results every
time. This completely water-based processed
printing plate is the premium solution particu-
larly suitable for the label industry, due to its
high screen ruling capability, which is typically
200 lines per inch. Fixed pallet four colour
printing is a reality with AWP plates Introducing the new AQUA
from Asahi. service standard
Fast response technical support delivered by
AFP: Today’s market standard engineering experts – that’s the AQUA Service
Today’s demanding flexo industry needs a promise from Asahi Photoproducts UK.
robust and reliable plate technology that deliv-
ers time and again. AFP is a solvent-based The company has always recognised that the
photopolymer plate, which provides consistent key to minimising downtime and waste in the
density and fine highlights with problem free UK flexo printing industry is having machine

Advertorial
and plate experts available, when and where developed to focus the team on delivering
printers need them, to get lines up and running excellence in technical support. Asahi has a
as quickly as possible. To deliver this promise, skilled and experienced team ready to support
Asahi Photoproducts UK has recently invested customers across the UK with the latest plate
in new VW Transporter Kombi vehicles and designs backed by Japanese technology
high spec maintenance tool kits for its skilled and innovation.
engineers. This investment has been made to
ensure that the team can quickly and reliably The AQUA offer involves supporting flexo
respond to customer calls and provide the pre- printers on site with print characteristic data
mium service expected from the high quality – enabling them to avoid distortion in their
plate solutions Asahi deliver. imagery. In addition, the AQUA service
commitment is to provide support to the print-
The Asahi highly engineered AWP plate solu- ing engineers to optimise plate performance
tion commands premium pricing in the market in the printing press to improve press stability.
and customers expect that Asahi provide This involves measuring and analysing the
excellence in service to go alongside it. Asahi plate printing characteristics and involves the
are the only company in the UK that provides auditing and maintenance of the plate making
skilled engineers who are also plate makers to equipment – a total plate and service
support customers on press. The investment is solution commitment.
ensuring that Asahi can respond to custom-
ers quickly in new vehicles demonstrating the For more information on Asahi Photoproducts
commitment Asahi is making to the UK flexo plate solutions or to understand more about the
print industry. new AQUA Service offer, please contact Asahi
Photoproducts UK on tel: +44-1277 232877,
AQUA is an acronym for the Asahi Quality fax: +44 1277 224414 or visit us at
Universal Assurance programme and was www.asahi-photoproducts.com.

F&K 20SIX CS
INTELLIGENT DESIGN. INTELLIGENT ECONOMICS.

The benchmark for flexible packaging.
www.bobst.com
The BOBST F&K 20SIX:
Advertorial
sophisticated technology for
superior print quality and productivity
F lexo printing is a highly sensitive
process, particularly as regards
impression setting and ink transfer. This
means that all the components involved
in printing must be designed for preci-
sion in the micron range – both mechani-
cally and in terms of control engineering.
Thanks to servo drive technology and
high-precision mechanical guides, the
F&K 20SIX can handle impression
adjustment, i.e. the setting of the anilox
roller relative to the plate cylinder and
of the plate cylinder to the substrate,
with a resolution of 1 micron. Special
calibration devices for parallel position-
ing of the printing units likewise operate avoiding energy losses. These include
with an accuracy of 1 micron. improved insulation of the heating circuit,
which was quite a feat of engineering but one
In addition to temperature control of the which has proven to be highly effective. A
central cylinder, an optional temperature solvent concentration control system ensures
compensation system (standard with smartGPS) that the thermal energy in the exhaust air
guarantees that the perfect printing position is is used more efficiently and the after-burner
maintained throughout the entire process by system can be operated under optimum condi-
compensating for any dimensional changes of tions. Control of the blower drive output as a
the printing unit frames as a result of function of the machine speed and the number
temperature fl uctuations. of printing units used proves to be another
efficient measure. Last but not least, the LEO
When it comes to energy consumption, as well system features intermediate drying nozzles
as ink and solvent consumption, the F&K 20SIX that can be individually opened and closed as
models are no longer comparable with models and when required.
that were the state of the art just a few years
ago. Like modern automotive drives, they offer The profile of the ‘green’ LEO machine is
far higher efficiency, ie substantially less en- completed by additional features, such as
ergy has to be used to print the same area. For servo drives with energy recovery modules; a
further enhanced efficiency, Bobst is offering special inking and wash-up system that works
the LEO (Low Energy Operation) system with a small ink volume and uses less solvent
specifically designed for the 20SIX family. for cleaning; a refrigeration air drier with
This optional ‘green’ kit is focused on the particularly low energy consumption and, last
machine’s main areas of energy consumption: but not least, energy-saving modes that switch
drying, inking and cleaning systems, as well the machine to the most efficient setting at
as compressed air and drives. the push of a button during downtimes and
production times.
With the LEO drying system, a wide range of
measures has been taken to reducing or

Creating a lasting impression
High Performance
engraving technology
Improved ink transfer
Durable print-to-print
consistency
Reduced Anilox
specifications
To maximize quality and achieve consistent results consult with one of our
print technicians for the best recommendation for your application.
ProFlo MaxFlo EasyFloHD

for HD printing for combination printing for High Opacity Whites
Consistency Through Quality

Cheshire Anilox Technology, Fifth Avenue, Tameside Park Industrial Estate,
Dukinfield, Cheshire SK16 4PP
T +44 (0) 161 344 5558 F + 44 (0) 161 330 9766
email sales@cheshireanilox.co.uk www.cheshireanilox.co.uk
Cheshire fuels growth
Advertorial
through innovation
W ith a strategy anchored in innovative
thinking and a strong entrepreneurial
spirit, anilox producer Cheshire Anilox
Specialist engravings
Cheshire offers a complete solution for the most
challenging flexographic print applications:
Technology continues to be at the forefront of
technology by creating new anilox solutions MaxFlo for combination printing. This is a
that can offer printers unmatched print quality, high-release engraving proven to deliver high
significant cost reductions and durable density of colour and finer ink distribution. It
print consistency. achieves denser and richer solids and cleaner
vignettes with one single anilox roll. With
Based in Manchester, in the UK, the company MaxFlo is no longer necessary to use two or
manufactures laser engraved ceramic anilox more stations to print solids, halftones and line
rollers and sleeves designed to improve print work. This means you will need less anilox
quality and reduce operational costs for rollers to print a wider variety of jobs, reducing
flexographic printers. With more than 22 years makeready times, maintenance downtime and
of servicing the flexographic printing industry, ink consumption.
Cheshire has a wealth of experience in
supplying effective solutions for the most MaxFlo UV designed for UV inks. Now you
challenging metering applications. can enjoy the versatility of MaxFlo without
UV spitting.
The company has distribution locations in
Europe, North America, South America, Asia ProFlo for HD printing. This award winning en-
and Africa. graving has been specifically designed for HD
Flexo printing. It features a new improved cell
Complete in-house manufacture profile for a more consistent ink lay down while
Cheshire’s anilox rolls are produced entirely in also eliminating uncontrolled dot gain allowing
house. This allows the company to manufacture printers to work with the expanded tone range
standard and custom rollers more efficiently of offset and rotogravure printing techniques.
and cost-effectively while maintaining the
highest quality. Quality is closely monitored MaxFlo XT for ‘Fixed Palette’ printing. Specially
in all manufacture steps to ensure absolute engineered for seven-colour printing, this
consistency of each roll from end to end. This offers superior ink transfer and unmatched
also gives Cheshire the flexibility of developing consistency.
specialised manufacturing processes and meet
tight delivery times. EasyFlo for High Opacity whites. This high per-
formance engraving is designed to reproduce
Cheshire uses the most advance laser technol- the opacity of rotary screen whites on film in
ogy with state of the art optics that provide one single pass. It delivers an outstanding uni-
unparalleled control of the beam for high line formity of coverage, increased opacity (85%+)
screen engravings with consistent cell geometry and elimination of mottling and pin holing.
and improved ink release properties.
With plans already set in motion to purchase
The powerful 500 Watt ALE fibre lasers come its sixth ALE Fibre laser, Cheshire will continue
with custom pulse which can produce to push the boundaries of flexo printing by
unlimited cell designs allowing the company creating highly innovative anilox engravings
to develop a wide range of ground-breaking that will make possible finer image reproduc-
unique engravings. tion and increased print colour densities.

GET UP TO COLOR. FAST.
When you’re running shorter, narrow web jobs with UV inks on expensive stock,
DuPont™ Cyrel® DFUV plates come up to color fast. It’s a thermal process plate
designed to print smooth and dense solids, without compromising dot gain,
highlights and resolution—while minimizing startup waste.
DuPont™ Cyrel® Systems: Higher quality at high speed.
Learn more fast at cyrel.eu
Copyright © 2014 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo,
DuPont and Cyrel are registered trademarks or trademarks of
™ ®
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.
DPG14_20044_Cyrel_Ad_FlexoTech_July14.indd 3 7/10/14 12:16 PM

Cyrel DFUV –
Advertorial
The new performance
standard for UV-curable inks introduced
by DuPont Packaging Graphics
The latest innovation introduced by DuPont In addition Cyrel DFUV is ideal for extended
Packaging Graphics is Cyrel FAST DFUV, a gamut printing due to its improved ink transfer
flexographic printing plate designed for ther- of UV inks. In recent DuPont studies Cyrel
mal process and for use with ultraviolet (UV) DFUV has been able to reproduce up to 98%
curable inks. of the pantone library with a standard pallet of
‘just’ seven colours. This opens the opportunity
This new Cyrel DFUV plate was developed to avoid unnecessary preparation, cleaning
specifically for the narrow web printer who times and to co-print almost all designs. The
needs a high-performance flexographic print- co-printing feature ensures longer runs vs.
ing plate for shorter, narrow web print runs standard layout and improves the competitive-
with UV inks. To meet our customers’ require- ness of flexography vs. digital printing.
ments of reducing cost by minimising start up
waste, DuPont designed a plate that comes Cyrel DFUV is applicable for all high-end
up to colour rapidly, almost immediately. The substrates, like pressure sensitive labels,
consumption of expensive substrates such as self-adhesive labels, shrink wrap labels, wrap
pressure sensitive and self-adhesive labels can around labels and tickets/tags/boards.
be reduced significantly.
Print specifications of the successful print be-
Another essential factor is quality. Only highest low, as well as a short video are available on
quality printing can enable our customers to our website http://www2.dupont.com/Pack-
differentiate themselves from their competitors. aging_Graphics/en_GB/DFUV/index.html
The Cyrel DFUV plate stands for smooth and
solid density prints, without compromising on With its 60,000 employees operating world-
dot gain, highlights and resolution. It is the wide in 100 countries across six continents,
plate of choice if you require very fine screens. DuPont produces about 500,000 product lines
High priced stock deserves only best print for more than 400,000 customers. Thereby
quality, which ensures that the final packaging continuing to bring DuPont world class science
is outstanding. and engineering to the global marketplace.
Only if highest print quality can be achieved DuPont Packaging Graphics is one of the
in reasonable time, will it be productive. The world’s leading suppliers of flexographic
Cyrel DFUV plate supports productivity by platemaking systems in digital and conven-
reducing the start-up time by coming up to tional applications, including the DuPont Cyrel
colour almost immediately and consequently brand of photopolymer plates, Cyrel FAST
reduces setup time dramatically. The advan- processing equipment, Cyrel round sleeves,
tage of thermal plate processing guarantees and mounting products.
extremely rapid access time as no drying steps
are required. This year DuPont marks the 40th anniversary
of Cyrel highlighting historical milestones, as
The new Cyrel DFUV plate in conjunction well as past, present and future leaders in
with the use of UV inks generates another step innovation with Cyrel flexographic printing
in reducing the environmental footprint by systems.
thermal processing which eliminates
completely solvent in the existing workflow.
12:16 PM
IGNITE
PACKAGING
PROFITS
RADIUS®
PACKAGING
ERP SOFTWARE
With Radius ERP software, packaging converters like you can easily identify
ways to automate workflow and reduce costs. That’s what’s made EFI™
the #1 provider of ERP software to large and midsized packaging companies.
Prepare for takeoff. Visit http://radius.efi.com/takeoff11 or call +44 1246 298000
©2014 EFI. All rights reserved.
42
EFI Radius transforms Firstan’s
Advertorial
packaging procedures
F irstan, the UK’s leading independent manu-
facturer of pharmaceutical healthcare and
specialist food carton packaging, has seen
significant gains since installing its EFI Radius
ERP software almost four years ago. ‘We have
generated greater efficiencies through achiev-
ing tighter margins across the business,’ said
managing director, Andrew Hartwig.
Established in 1978, Firstan now employs

149 people and produces more than 500
G
million folding cartons each year at its prem-
ises in Godmanchester, near Cambridge.
Radius was specifically developed for the

packaging sector and it can grow with the
company as it expands. By linking its produc-
tion hardware and software systems with the
Radius system, Firstan has seen increased
efficiency and faster sales enquiry responses,
with staff able to view live reports across a
range of business and management topics.
The MIS simplifies management tasks and
handles advanced analysis and reporting
requirements seamlessly and efficiently.
Simon Lacey, commercial director, said, ‘The

Radius estimating system is a huge improve-
ment on what we were using previously.
We can now take live data from the factory Firstan management team
and use it to ensure that our estimates and
quotations are as accurate as possible. ment, estimates and customer service are all
treated as one process. Once an order has
‘The big plus is the data capture and been placed, it goes to the planning stage.
planning. We are able to see the capacity we ‘All the information is now on-screen. This
are using on the factory floor, looking at shows live status and how long it will take to
overtime, holidays, and so on for planning. produce,’ said IT manager, Paul Murden.
We use it for purchases and factory manage-
ment. We can now make accurate quotations ‘It’s particularly useful as a sales tool, and
and know that the margins we aim for are sales analysis is where it’s helped us the most,
what we will actually get.’ as we can see where are markets are,’ added
Mr Murden.
Using the Radius system has changed the way
Firstan’s staff can access its production, sales Firstan works with EFI Radius to continually
and analysis information. Account manage- refine its operations.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
by BSI
0RODUCTS3OLUTIONSFORPROFESSIONALSLIKEYOU
)NNOVATION %NGINEERING
7A
7
7ASHOU
ASHOUTU T
3OLVE
3OL
LVVEN
ENT
NT
.APHTHA &REE
#LEANERS 3ERVICE
Flexo-Technology center
Quality products
Excellent services
Own laboratory/R&D
Own production
Teamspirit
Innovations
WWW¾EXOCLEANNL\TEL \INFO ¾EXOCLEANNL
NEW ....solution. Brilliant effect. Now also distillation on location.

Plate by plate in record time!
N EnW al
Accelerates the production of Reduced plate swelling tern
nte
iin
tion:
illati
distil rements
photopolymer plates Dimensionally more stable e measu
Additiv te s!
Reduces emission printing plates in minu
Not deemed hazardous to the health* Dirt resistant scrubber

because it is NAPHTHA-free! Less emission
* ) According to the expert opinion issued by Fraunhofer Institute Karlsruhe 2010.
Faster drying times Optimized recycling

processes
t!
st Paten
wide 1
world
Distributor Germany | Rudolf Reproflex GmbH · Maik Gottschlich
Magdeburger Kamp 5 · 38644 Goslar · Germany · fon +49 5321 3715-72 · info@fs90i.com
w w w.fs90i.com
Flexoclean Engineering B. V.
Bliek 8 · 4941 SG Raamsdonksveer · The Netherlands
P.O. Box 374 · 4940 AJ Raamsdonksveer · The Netherlands
T +31 (0)162 - 57 62 22 · F +31 (0)162 - 57 62 20
E info@flexoclean.nl · I www.flexoclean.nl
FLEXOCLEAN achieves ISO 9001
Advertorial
and ISO 14001 certification
F lexoclean is the market leader in profes-
sional cleaning for the packaging industry.
Worldwide we do what we do best: solving
At the moment the market is told to be hectic.
There are a lot of suppliers which offer a
variety of products, but only a few offer a total
cleaning problems and offering cleaning as package like Flexoclean.
it always was meant to be. For every specific
client, Flexoclean develops a special and Flexoclean is one of the few producers of
complete cleaning concept with the main goal cleaners worldwide, who has the knowledge
to improve their processes. Offering a total and expertise to solve all kinds of problems
cleaning solution with complete support is and keep things under control. We make
our forte. quality instead of quantity. Our main goal is
to guarantee our customers a long term and
Years of experience and hard work have continuing good cleaning system.
resulted in gaining the ultimate expertise we
have now. We develop and produce our own This is a year of change. With a renewed
cleaners, thus giving a lot of advantages to presentation and a fresh logo, we will as ever
our clients. be of service any time. We have our own
service department, which is by means of our
Experts seek out expertise. After 20 years of Flexmobil, dealing with offline cleaning
experience in the market, one word is enough. wherever our customers are located.
‘Prevention is better than cure’ – with this
slogan Flexoclean strives for a continuous Furthermore we have our own service van,
relationship with its customers. enabling us to test and analyse all kinds of
cleaning problems in situ. At this very moment,
As from June 2014, Flexoclean is we are having our total premises rebuilt and
certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001! expanded, which will double our production
capacity and house us in a modernised
These certifications reaffirm our professional- building with a complete new
ism, a professional organisation with high technology centre.
quality products. This is therefore the perfect
moment to introduce our new logo: GHS changes are expected as from
January 2015! We have already
developed alternatives, which will
not be classified under the
new regulations!
If you are interested in Flexoclean in general,

or specifically in our products and services,
We offer a complete cleaning concept based please email us info@flexoclean.nl or call
on your special needs and wishes, leading to tel +31 (0)162 576222.
process stability, ever continuing print quality
and better results. We make an inventory
of needs, and advise and produce the right
cleaning products especially focused on your
printing process.

Integrated ink management
optimises business processes
D emands for shorter production runs, more
frequent packaging changes and more
colour requirements have forced suppliers in
all areas of the packaging sector to reorganise
pre-press processes. Inks offer great potential
for efficiency improvements, not least because
colour adjustments on press can account for up
to half of set up times. three minutes. Recycling of return inks in
new ink recipes can be considered a ‘given’.
Ink management, though, offers more than Compared with manual ink preparation
dispensing and recycling ink; it facilitates better methods, ink yields by automated dispensers
control in order management and improves are 30% higher.
business processes. Achieving this requires
dispensing technology, predictable proofing, Modularity of build ensures a dispenser
and software to share information with other adapted to needs and budgets, allowing
IT systems. further expansion – for instance by adding
more base inks – at a later date. Some systems
Enhanced yields with dispensing can connect to as many as 34 barrels, allow-
technology ing a complete colour range of two ink sets
Ink dispensing systems offer productivity and fast changeover between ink sets during
benefits for users of both process and spot the production shift. Similarly, dispensing vol-
colours and can be adapted for the printer’s ume ranges are 1 kg to 5 kg for narrow web,
ink set and volume requirements. and 5 kg to 25 kg for packaging.
For folding carton, corrugated board and flex- Factors cutting ownership cost include air
ible film applications, a dispenser is supplied consumption rate, minimal moving parts,
by barrels containing base inks and varnishes, automatic cleaners that activate after each
connected together by stainless steel valves dispensing cycle and hose connectors that
for optimum accuracy. The operator enters the allow drip-free barrel replacement.
target colour and volume requirements into
the interface; a computer calculates dosage Software: the key to integration
volumes and activates the mixing and dispens- Ink management software (IMS) provides
ing process. Systems for short-run label printing control and information needed to run ink and
are fed by 20 litre containers or buckets. While printing operations efficiently, productively and
process colours require no formulation, auto- profitably. It takes care of formula prepara-
mating their supply to the press via a dispenser tion, schedules production runs, tracks batch
offers set up time improvements and assurance numbers, produces detailed reports, and ink
of exact quantities for each individual job. costings per job. With the capability to offer
batch traceability a printer is better placed to
Dosage accuracy within 1 g is ideal for meet the stringent safety requirements of food
achieving colour targets and ensuring exact and pharmaceutical packaging brand owners.
volume requirements without overproduction or
shortfall. Dispensing cycles, assuming a 20 kg Optional features include improved order
four-colour recipe, are usually complete within and stock management, providing up-to-date

information on ink availability. Automatic ink
replenishment via Internet simplifies the order
placing, processing and fulfilment stages.
The software’s ability to integrate with the

printing house’s existing management informa-
tion software allows data to be included in
(th)ink lean!
reports, and be generally accessible to staff
beyond the pressroom itself.
Quality assurance through

offline proofing
Offline, table-top proofing is the third factor
of integrated ink management. This provides
precise flexo colour predictability, without Lean ink management
fingerprinting. It is an automated wet-proofing saves up to 30 percent of your costs
solution that lets ink lab technicians measure
an ink’s colour and density at the same dot
gain as it will experience on the press. It uses
the same plate and tape as will be used on
press, miniature anilox rollers with the exact
cell-count, and runs the same label or packag-
ing stock specified for the job. Other features
are gear-driven ink and impression rollers and
adjustable nip pressure, the proofer provides a
perfect miniaturised simulation of the conditions GSE Dispensing’s gravimetric ink dispensers help
of the target flexo press, whatever the substrate printers to implement lean business practices
or desired dot gain. Colour adjustments are that also make sound financial sense.
arguably the most time-consuming aspect of the
set up stage. By eliminating the need for adjust- Over 1.000 packaging printers have invested in a
ments, therefore, a table top proofer can save GSE dispenser for water-based, solvent-based or
the printer up to 15 minutes per job. Especially UV curable inks. It has helped them save up to 30
in short-run situations, that saving can amount percent of their costs, by:
to tens of thousands of pounds per year.
• Reducing ink usage: dispense exactly what is
needed, instead of ordering excess amounts of
To keep performance at optimum levels, a
ready-mixed ink from the supplier “ just in case”.
supplier offers additional services such as
preventative maintenance, software upgrades • Reusing inks: easily locate and retrieve press
and licence updates, extranet support, as well return-inks from stock.
as on-site maintenance visits and training.
• Recycling inks: effortlessly add return-inks to
Ink management provides a route to adding new recipes.
value, in terms of a lean, low-waste
Whatever package or label substrate you’re
workflow, a clean and organised workplace
printing on, our dispensing program puts you in
and consistent colour for every job. Moreover,
total control of your ink logistics needs. To find
it empowers you to control budgets, offer
out more, visit us at www.gsedispensing.com.
extra peace of mind to customers, and
strengthen relationships.
w w w.gsedispensing.com
FlexoTech half 2014.indd 1 15-07-14 10:05

We transform visions into
adhesive solutions.
Benefit from the flexoprinting know-how of our Bonding Engineers.
Whether printing labels, flexible packaging or cartons – professional handling, finely-tuned processes and
perfect print results are nowadays what flexoprinting is all about. With our DuploFLEX® plate mounting
tapes, our Bonding Engineers have developed uncompromising product solutions for you. Would you like
to see for yourself? Then put us to the test.
Lohmann Technologies UK Ltd.

Phone: +44 1296 337888
Fax: +44 1296 337772
info@lohmann-tapes.com
www.lohmann-tapes.com
Lohmann accommodates any type of printing
Advertorial
with DuploFLEX plate mounting solutions
In today´s printing industry, the name Lohmann

is inseparably connected with the DuploFLEX
brand, which has evolved as the benchmark in
in four different foam hardnesses, which allow
fine process work as well as large solids.
compressible plate mounting. With a know- For the label industry, Lohmann has created
how of more than 70 years, the company has the new DuploFLEX 3 and 4 range. Due to
developed products for the printing industry their versatile features, these products meet the
which achieve more than just fastening print- most varied requirements of this special flexo
ing plates on cylinders or sleeves. They are industry segment. The product range includes
optimising the printing process and make a a wide selection of plate mounting tapes with
significant contribution to the printing result. various degrees of foam thickness and hard-
ness as well as various adhesive properties.
With its portfolio of plate mounting tapes, Therefore they ensure excellent results in the
Lohmann supplies not only the needs of the printing ranges of 0.38 mm and 0.44 mm
flexographic industry but also offers a quite and they cope with print images from fine
unique construction of these products. Con- process work, brilliant halftones or solid and
ventional compressible plate mounting tapes clean fonts.
consist of a PET reinforced film on one side.
In comparison to this, the DuploFLEX range Furthermore, Lohmann has developed a new
is equipped with a double-sided flexible PE product range for high quality post-print called
reinforcement. Therefore the forces acting on DuploFLEX CB (Corrugated Board). This prod-
the compressible foam are perfectly cushioned uct range also benefits from our long-lasting
and uncontrolled dot gain is avoided. experience in flexographic printing and the
comprehensive expertise which Lohmann has
The technology in flexographic printing is gained in label printing and flexible packag-
constantly evolving and customer demands for ing markets worldwide.
a perfect print result are growing accordingly.
Lohmann products keep up with these develop- Two versions of DuploFLEX CB are available:
ments by the optimisation of its DuploFLEX one is a single-sided adhesive foam tape
range and has created new products. The where the PET film may be laminated in a sep-
basic DuploFLEX range now consists of several arate step. The other version is a non-adhesive
adhesive tapes, differentiated by the hardness product with a foam laminated onto the PET
of the foam and in the adhesion forces. film carrier. For both versions, the foam can
be offered in various degrees of thickness and
The special DuploFLEX HP 5 (High Perfor- hardness. Due to the closed cell structure of
mance) range is the optimum choice for the the high quality polymer foam used, a superior
most challenging print demands. Lohmann’s HP resilience and high stability is provided. In con-
foam distinguishes itself by incomparably high trast to open cell foams, the range is resistant
stability and superior resilience. Its uniform cell to water and solvents and is optimised in such
structures and comparatively small cell sizes a way that it can be released very easily.
makes the DuploFLEX HP 5 range stand out.
Furthermore, its consistent foam behaviour One of the main advantages of the DuploFLEX
counteracts machine vibrations and significant- CB range is the ability to bridge the column
ly reduces distracting vibration marks. So it is in order to utilise thinner printing plates. So a
even suitable for long and demanding print high printing quality is achieved and the so-
jobs. Lohmann offers this special product range called ‘washboard-effect’ can be eliminated.

the
SH PE
of things
BETTER
RESULTS
from a
BETTER
Flat -Top
Dot
The unique shoulder profile
of MacDermid’s LUX® flat-top dots yields
superior print results. That’s why LUX has been
installed at more than 170 sites worldwide.
Consistent Print Quality

The unique LUX dot shape reduces the effect of impression on dot gain,
resulting in longer runs, more reliable color, and fewer stops for press adjustment.
Easily Integrates into Current Platemaking Workflow

This simple process is a complement to existing flexo technologies, can be used
with all flexo lasers, and does not require modification to current equipment.
An Experienced Partner
LUX Platemaking and the expertise to make the most of it comes
only from MacDermid — Start your journey with us.
Photopolymer Plates • Equipment

5210 Phillip Lee Drive, Atlanta, Ga 30336, USA Telephone: +1.404.696.4565
www.macdermid.com/printing
©2013 MacDermid, Inc. All Rights Reserved
460752 PCI Shape Ad 021814.indd 1 2/18/14 2:12 PM

MacDermid Printing
Advertorial
Solutions: the future is now
M acDermid Printing Solutions is a
worldwide leader in the development,
manufacture, and marketing of technologies
ITP 60 has been shown to work at resolutions
up to 150 lpi (64 l/cm) with water-based,
solvent-based and UV inks. Surface
used for package printing. MacDermid sells screening technologies for enhanced SID are
photopolymer printing plates and equipment fully supported, and like most MacDermid
and is the only photopolymer plate manufac- digital plates, LUX ITP 60 can be processed
turer to offer all forms of photopolymer technol- either by solvent or by LAVA thermal process-
ogy including liquid, ing techniques. LUX ITP pho-
sheet and digital. topolymer technology uniquely
provides ALL digital platemak-
Our people at ers with the ability to produce
MacDermid Printing flat-top dot printing plates.
Solutions are dedicated
to providing the highest LUX In-the-Plate (ITP) is a game
quality and most techni- changing new technology
cally advanced products exclusively from MacDermid
and services to meet that provides all of the benefits
the ever-increasing demands of the printing of LUX flat-top dots, but with the convenience
industry. Our people provide value to our of receiving them already in the plate. No
customers, through our technical expertise additional platemaking steps or equipment are
and through our commitment to what’s right needed to take advantage of the print quality
for the customer is right for MacDermid. We, and consistency of LUX flat-top dots. The first
as part of our culture, believe that if it doesn’t available plate product is LUX ITP 60. ITP 60
add value we don’t do it. And that means is a 60 durometer plate well suited for the flex-
we deliver even more value to our customers. ible packaging, folding carton, tag & label,
Our people are the type who bring initiative, and sacks, paper, and multiwall segments.
innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit of
the ‘guts to fail’; people who are committed to The ITP 60 is a 60 durometer plate that offers
their best and to doing what’s right for 1:1 mask-to-plate imaging capability, thus
the customer. eliminating the need for a bump curve. By
removing the bump curve, printers are able
MacDermid recently announced an industry to expand the available colour gamut and
first, our same LUX ITP: Flat-Top Dot technol- print a smaller dot. LUX ITP 60 is a durable
ogy built right and extremely
into the plate. low tack plate,
LUX ITP is a which is per-
photopolymer fectly suited
plate that for long and
produces flat-top dots using the same conven- clean running print jobs. It has been designed
tional digital platemaking process used today to be processed in either solvent or LAVA
without the need for additional materials or thermal systems.
new equipment of any kind. LUX ITP will allow
platemakers to use their existing equipment to When you’re looking to take your game to the
create the same LUX flat-top dot preferred by next level, count on the flat-top dot technology
200 platemaking operations worldwide. LUX leader, MacDermid.
8/14 2:12 PM
The FanTasTic
Flexo Four
Flexo printing at its finest, and one of the strongest product lines in the
global narrow-web market. With the FB-3300, the Fa-4, the FB-3, and the
Fa-4*, nilpeter offers a high-performing flexo press for any scale – from
small family-owned companies to large multi-national corporations.
FB-3300 FA-4
Your starting Line for Your Flexo Line for

high Performance Business innovation
10” - 16” widths 13” - 22” widths
FB FA
Your smart line for Your Flexo Line for

high Performance Optimised Performance
13” width 16” - 22” widths
Your ChallEngE our COMMITMEnT nilpeter.com
NILPETER A/S • Elmedalsvej 20-22 • Slagelse, DK-4200 • Denmark • Phone: +45 5850 1166 • Fax: +45 5850 5060 • e-mail: nilpeter@nilpeter.com
Nilpeter Ltd. • Nilpeter House • Unit 21, Priory Tec Park • Saxon Way, Hessle • GB-East Yorkshire • HU13 9PB • United Kingdom • Phone: +44 1482629600 • e-mail: uk@nilpeter.com
2014101_Nilpeter_NEXT_A5_FLEXO_FOUR_GB_FlexoTech_Essential_Handbook.indd 1 7/7/14 3:06 PM

Nilpeter ... taking you to
Advertorial
the next level
W ith nearly 100 years of engineering
expertise and in-depth, global indus-
try knowledge, Nilpeter is a leading global
The FB-Line
The FB-Line is the value flexo line for
performance and durability.
manufacturer of label and narrow web printing
machinery, based on flexo and offset technolo- The FB-3 represents the latest technology
gies. Nilpeter presses deliver quality and cost integrated into a new, ground-up designed
effectiveness, covering all printing processes, platform. The ergonomically designed printing
widths, substrates, and markets. stations each includes five servos for complete
automation of all adjustments including job
The Danish press manufacturer provides save, job load, and job change, as well as
flexible, high-performance printing solutions, pre-setting, impression settings, and side regis-
designed to meet the converters’ evolving ter load. The dual axis servo transport system
business needs – so they in turn can offer ensures that the FB-3 repeatedly delivers the
innovative label and packaging solutions to highest level of print reproduction, as well as
their customers. unparalleled registration performance. Other
features include quick-release anilox rollers and
With major production facilities in both plate cylinders, which makes the FB-3 a natural
Europe, the USA, and India, and with addition to any lean printing environment.
subsidiaries, branch offices and agents in 65
countries, Nilpeter is a global printing partner, The MO-Line
delivering complete printing solutions to meet The MO-Line is the offset precision line for
your local needs quickly, selling and servicing superior flexibility.
label printing presses across the globe.
The MO-4 is offset at its very best. This
Nilpeter’s product programme features well- revolutionary offset platform is based on
defined machine lines for total high perfor- lightweight sleeve technology and delivers
mance printing. The machines produce the full state-of-the-art offset combination printing.
spectrum of labels and packaging giving maxi- With previously unattainable levels of flex-
mum output, business value, and flexibility. ibility, the MO-4 takes platform technology
to an even higher level. The MO-4 can be
The FA-Line configured according to demand and future
The FA-Line is the premium flexo line for applications can be integrated seamlessly.
multi-substrate printing.
The latest addition to the Nilpeter offset family
The FA-4* is the newest member of the popular is the MO-5. Designed for labels and flexible
FA-Line. It is designed to ensure optimum packaging substrates, the MO-5 features
efficiency combined with the highest level of printing widths up to 20 inches. With a total
quality. The new, innovative design features weight of 3,600 kg, each unit features 11
the shortest possible web path, easy loading high performance servo motors for optimum
of tooling, and the Nilpeter CLEANINKING precision. The unit provides very easy access
system. Combined with the new Nilpeter Power from the operator’s side and the gear side,
Link control system, the label and flexible pack- simplifying press operations, roller handling,
aging printer achieves the leanest performance job change, and service. Experience these
in today’s competitive market. This press meets lean and competitive solutions first hand in
the increasing, global trend towards short run Nilpeter’s Technology Centres.
jobs and small repeat lengths. www.nilpeter.com
m

peter.com
3:06 PM
A distinctive alternative
Advertorial
A s a one-site-one-world producer, we carry
out primary manufacturing of our own
UV products. Using carefully selected raw
our direct international customer base and our
select one-world distributor network, which
covers over 35 countries across the world.
materials, coupled with bespoke production
techniques, we ensure a quality and consist- We are proud winners of The Queen’s Award
ency that carries Paragon’s ‘one-world for Enterprise 2014, dedication and commit-
global guarantee’. ment to our home and global customer base.
We understand that our products are just part
Our business philosophy is centred on the of the equation for our one-world customers
company values of integrity and partnership. to achieving high quality, consistent and cost
effective products for their customers, brand
The twin focus on UV products and web owners and ultimately the consumer.
printing application has allowed us to create
and cultivate, over 29 years, a pioneering The other variables associated with print from
world-class expertise in UV inks and coatings, the pre-press solutions to effective printing and
as well as print and converting application converting is also vitally important. Because of
knowledge, for the packaging and product this, we have long standing working relation-
decoration markets that never stand still. ship with some of the world’s leading OEMs
and co-suppliers in the printing market today.
In recent years, we built a dedicated one-world Paragon Inks is an ISO 9001 accredited
manufacturing facility on a private five-acre company and a member of the British Coatings
site. This has enabled us to offer a unique Federation (BCF).
manufacturing, technology and innovation
facility as well as a dedicated training centre,
thus benefiting all our custom-
ers, brand owners, distribu-
tors and co-suppliers.
We strongly believe people

are our business and have
been Investor in People ac-
credited for many years.
We deliver our product and

brand to the global market
and in so doing, offering a
real ‘one-world’ alternative to
the corporate and independ-
ent printers across the world.
Our sole manufacturing site

supplies our national market,
but also our partners
(Paragon Inks Australia and
Paragon Inks South Africa),

Print-Tech Solutions has built an enviable reputation for delivering a wide range
of products from one source. This portfolio has always been supported by first class
customer service and technical advice.
Consumables Division Machinery Division

 smart™ cleaning solutions  Ultrasonic cleaning systems
 Anilox rollers  Parts washers
 Anilox care & protection  CellScope™ Anilox inspection
 Rubber rollers systems
 Lohmann mounting/splice  Carbon Fibre ink chambers
tapes  Ink pumps & filters
 Doctor blades & end seals
Some of the words our customers have used to describe us in recent feedback surveys;
“ Customer Focussed Knowledgeable Reliable
Innovative Enthusiastic Bespoke Solutions
Trustworthy Professional Great Product Range “

e
t: 0871 224 3838 t: +44 871 224 3838

f: 0871 224 3839 f: +44 871 224 3839
“ w: www.print-techsolutions.co.uk e: info@print-techsolutions.co.uk
Staying ahead of the game
Advertorial
E stablished in 1996, Print Quest in Skegness
is a company that likes to be at the forefront
of pre-press development and continually
a new separate plate storage area, light sen-
sors in all areas and pipes built in under the
floor that run to a solvent recovery system.
invest in the latest and best technologies on the
market. Providing an international client base The modern in-house studio has been fully
with artwork and plates, it uses leading-edge equipped with the Adobe CS6 suite of
technology and state-of-the-art reproduction software with DeskPack plugins from Esko,
techniques to achieve the highest quality and Kodak Prinergy Evo workflow.
for new and existing clients. Over Furthermore, Graphic Republik has
the last few years, the company has supplied Isi MaxPro for trapping, Max-
invested heavily in upgrading the Color for colour conversion and MaxStep
technology in its factory for creation of the final layout. Print Quest
to provide a more was also the first UK company to invest in
effective solution, and the Smart Screen flexo screening
increased the staff solution as part of the bundle.
levels by 30% to
keep up with demand. The company has been a
The company was very trailblazer in the adoption
proud to be awarded the of Kodak’s Flexcel NX
Kodak Flexcel NX technology. Managing
certification for its director, David Jarvis,
high standards and said, ‘It is crucial
consistency in the that investments are
production of its made in the latest
NX plates. technology to continu-
ally improve the
This reaffirms the quality of flexographic
continuing commitment print for our clients, to keep
to the Kodak NX System them ahead of their competi-
and that all its hard work tion. Ever since we installed the NX
over a number of years plus System back in 2008, we feel that we have
the close working revolutionised the industry bringing near offset
relationship with Kodak has had a positive quality to our clients, giving them the edge
effect on improving the standard and against their competitors.’
expectations of the clients it works with.
Print Quest was the first in the UK to install
Having taken on two additional factory units, the DuPont Cyrel 2000 PS processor and
Print Quest has gone through a complete remains committed to providing its customers
overhaul of its production facilities, including with plates and technical support that fits each
setting up a brand new plateroom. In this individual company’s products.
climate-controlled cleanroom stands a Kodak
Flexcel NX mid-sized system, Aquaflex light Mr Jarvis concluded, ‘We invest in all areas of
finisher and dryer, a new DuPont Cyrel 2000 platemaking to ensure that we stay ahead of
PS processor, along with two Cyrel ECDLF the game and can supply the best solution for
1000 exposure and drying units. There is also our clients.’

World class anilox manufacture
Advertorial
S andon Global was founded on the premise
of supplying the highest quality new and
refurbished anilox into the flexographic
produce an unmatched group of anilox to
satisfy our customers’ requirements. Our latest
contribution to printing efficiency is our iPro
industry. Based from our state of the art engraving. iPro uses unique tri-axial cell ratios
production facility we have grown rapidly to give good ink release at high screens
throughout the world. for printing fine HD dots. Our product
portfolio include:
Our mission statement is to promote printing
partnerships with our customers. John iPro – HD-ready process engraving
Millington, managing director, states that, HVP – Versatile combination anilox
‘Printing partnerships are built on honest HOW – Narrow web, opaque white anilox
discussions between customer and supplier
with a pledge from our staff to guarantee Product knowledge and
product quality, product development and the customer service
ability to offer educated and relevant after Our customer service and technical sales
sales support.’ This passion for print has been executives pride themselves on not only their
recognised several times by our customers product knowledge but an overall understand-
voting Sandon Global as ‘Supplier of the Year’ ing of the flexographic industry.
at the prestigious EFIA awards.
Our staff are central to the relationships that
Sandon Global’s success is based on three we build with our customers by offering a
value added concepts: positive approach to requests and working
hard to fulfil their requirements regarding
Quality, consistency and control lead times, fault diagnosis and
We manufacture our entire anilox internally technical knowledge.
giving us complete control over our product.
In order to maintain the high standards that we For more information, please contact
set, we take the control element of our product pam.collins@sandonglobal.com or visit our
very seriously, from the basic functionality of website www.sandonglobal.com.
the engineered base to the constancy
of a quality engraving. Strict Standard
Operating Procedures are followed
in production in order to maintain our
quality and consistency.
Research and development

Sandon Global is dedicated to the
R&D of anilox technology, pioneering
a number of ‘firsts’ with the target of
optimising our customers’ print quality
and efficiency. Each month we dedicate
time to the R&D of our engravings by
modifying them and pushing the
capabilities of an anilox. The unique
engravings that we have created

R L D C L A S S
WO D E S
O R B L A
DOCT
62
www.swedev.se
Designed, engineered and
Advertorial
manufactured by Swedev AB
S ince the company was founded in 1985, it
is no coincidence SWED/CUT has grown
to become ’the brand of choice’ of quality
create a consistently smooth edge. As an ex-
ample of an improvement made resulting from
Swedev partnering with printers, the transition
printers and converters around the world. That zone of the lamella edge is gradual rather than
is because Swedev’s entire product line is steep – allowing the tip to flex without break-
developed to meet their specific needs. ing. In addition to certain industry standards
for edge dimensions, Swedev customises
The very core of our commitment to develop- edge width, thickness and tapering to best suit
ing process improving products and services printers’ special application needs. Swedev’s
is reflected in our name – SWEDEV AB which flexible production lines allow a quick reset
stands for Swedish Development Company. of machines to be able to deliver special or
unusual products at the customer’s request.
Today, Swedev’s standard product offering
includes more than one thousand different Special application – high
combinations of materials, material treatments, performance blades
S
dimensions and edge treatments. In addition, MicroKote is a proprietary and patented
Swedev has the ability to custom engineer surface coating developed by Swedev. The ink
products for individual or proprietary repellent qualities of the overall coating prevent
applications. large particulate in the ink from collecting
behind the blade. The result is a profound re-
The whole production process, from steel melt- duction in streaks and other blade-related print
ing to blade manufacturing and delivery of the defects. In addition, the coating at the tip area
finished product, is subject to an ISO 9001 is enhanced to extend blade life significantly.
certified quality system. Swedev also works to
ISO 14001 environmental standards. Important note: Because MicroKote was
developed together with printers, the life
Your success is our business enhancing qualities are not achieved by using
It all starts on printer’s production floor – ceramics or other super hard, cylinder wearing
Swedev product development extends to agents. Instead, many printers using MicroKote
customers. Swedev partners with leading report extended life on most cylinders in ad-
flexographic and rotogravure printers and dition to reduced print waste. MicroKote has
coaters around the world to learn about developed into an expanding line of coated
specific metering application needs. We then blades capable of meeting even the most
work together to develop cost-effective solutions demanding applications.
which often include ‘in-your-plant’ technical
support and training. Technical support
Swedev offers technical support worldwide
Therefore, Swedev proudly says ‘Your Success and maintains a qualified staff of experienced
is Our Business’’. printing technicians who work together with
customers to develop cost effective solutions
Our production – your edge on quality which often include ‘in-your-plant’ technical
In addition to perfecting premium high support and training. Troubleshooting at
performance steels for various doctor blade customers’ plants is an important part of
applications, Swedev has developed a number Swedev’s constant process of improving and
of proprietary methods and techniques to developing products.

G
p
g
s
Ancillary
Providing
Innovation
Improve quality with a
wide range of high-
performance ancillary
equipment for the flexo- Concept
and offset printing
industry.
Driving
Innovation
Stand out with unique mid-
web production solutions for
a wide range of applications
within the packaging print
industry.
TRESU Group
Eegsvej 14-16, Bjert · Denmark
Tel. +45 7632 3500 · tresu@tresu.dk
www.tresu.com
TRESU GmbH • TRESU ItalIa

a s.r.l • TRESU Japan Co., ltd. • TRESU CHIna • TRESU AmericA
As
29140107_TRESU_148x210mm_GB.indd 4-5
TRESU Group offers
flexible, customized solutions of
flexo printing machines
and ancillary products
for flexo and
Solutions
offset printing.
Designing
Innovation
Get the competitive edge with complete multi-station
printing and converting
converting lines for the lottery and
gaming industries, and bespoke printing
solutions for hygiene products.
DigitalSolutions
d- Adding
for Innovation
ons
Add value with state-of-the-
art, full surface or selective
flexo coating for a
wide range of
applications.
7/11/14 2:04 PM
Printing dark images on paper requires excellent opacity and
an exceptionally smooth surface with outstanding brightness
and whiteness to replicate the details correctly.
Visions
illuminated
by Lumi
This image has been printed on LumiSilk. LumiArt and LumiSilk are woodfree, multicoated art
printing papers developed with designers and printers in mind. They have outstanding brightness
and whiteness that makes them the perfect choice for applications that demand exceptionally high
quality text and image reproduction. In the art printing business, Lumi means excellence in every
language.
The Lumi products have received environmental accolades from the EU Ecolabel program and
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®). The Lumi products are rethinking the business in terms of
sustainability and quality.
FSC® trademark license code: FSC® C015932
Image from the

LUMI PHOTOGRAPHIC
ART AWARDS
Artist: Wawi Navarroza
From the series “Dominion”
www.storaenso.com/lumi
info@yourmerchant.co.uk
www.yourmerchant.co.uk
Abrasion resistance – Acrylic
A over a longer period of time, as long as some

simple, additional storage requirements are met.
Abrasion resistance The ability to withstand
the effects of repeated rubbing and scuffing, Accuracy A general term for total tolerance.
also called scuff or rub resistance. The output from an image setter needs to have
an accuracy of at least +1 ml over several im-
Abrasion test A test designed to determine age setting operations in order to maintain reg-
the ability of a substrate to withstand the effects istration fully effectively. Geometric and absolute
of rubbing and scuffing. precision are other important criteria.
Abrasiveness Applied to inks, refers to the Acetate (1) A family of solvents also known as
hardness of the pigment particles. esters; an example is normal propylacetate. It
can also refer to a particular cellulose acetate
Absolute density The density measurement or film in general. (2) In multi-layer artwork, it
where the densitometer is calibrated on air for is often used as an overlay, often referred to
transmission and on a white standard supplied as Mylar or clear layout base. (3) The material
by the manufacturer for reflection. See also used for ‘overhead’ transparency printing.
relative density.
Acetone A very active solvent from the ketone
Absorption (1) Taking in or the penetration of family used mainly in gravure inks and for
one substance into another; taking in of liquids special purposes. The fastest drying solvent from
or vapours such as moisture by porous materials this family.
and substrates such as paper and board. (2)
The selective removal of some of the wave- ACFM Actual cubic feet per minute of airflow,
lengths of white light, producing coloured light. ie airflow in drying systems or catalytic/thermal
(3) The reduction that occurs when light incident oxidisers.
on an object is not reflected.
Achromatic colour Colours that have no hue
Accelerate (1) To hasten or quicken the natural or chroma, ie black, white, grey.
progress or process of ink drying or curing.
Achieved by the addition of a faster drying Acid Any chemical that undergoes dissociation
solvent or by increasing the temperature or in water resulting in the formation of hydrogen
volume of hot air applied to the printed surface. ions. Acids have a pH less than 7.0; lower
(2) To adjust the web tension or speed up number indicating greater acidity. Among its
rewind shafts during flying splices and to take properties: corrodes many materials, tastes sour,
up web slack. turns litmus paper red. See also pH.
Accelerator A substance added or method Acid free paper In principle paper which
used to hasten or quicken the natural process of does not contain any acid. Special precautions
ink drying or curing. are taken during manufacture to eliminate any
active acid that might be in the furnish in order
Acceptance inspection The evaluation of a to increase the longevity of the finished paper.
definite piece of material or product that is al-
ready in existence to determine its acceptability Acid number The amount of potassium
within standards. hydroxide (in milligrams) required to neutralise
free acids in one gram of oil, wax or resin.
Accumulate To store hazardous waste
temporarily at a place of business for a limited Across web See Cross direction.
amount of time. The time allowed for storage
depends on the amount of hazardous waste Acrylic A general chemical term for a par-
produced per month. Satellite accumulation ticular family of thermoplastic resins based on
allows a facility to completely fill a container acrylic acid and its derivatives.

ACT – Air cylinders
ACT Alternative Control Techniques. Administrative order A legal document
signed by a government agency directing an
Actinic rays Those rays of light which cause individual, business or other entity to take cor-
the most intense acceptability within quality rective action or refrain from an activity.
standard chemical reactions.
Afnor cup Measuring cup for the viscosity of
Activated carbon A highly absorbent form inks. See also Efflux, Zahn, etc.
of carbon used to remove odours and toxic
substances from liquid or gaseous emissions. Adsorption The accumulation of a material
with which it has contact (typically gas solid or
Additive lamps Medium pressure mercury liquid solid), such as the adsorption of organic
vapour UV lamps (arc or microwave) that have compounds onto activated carbon.
had small amounts of metal halide(s) added to
the mercury within the bulb. These materials will Advanced preparation of unused print-
emit their characteristic wavelengths in addition ing decks Printing units that are not in use can
to the mercury emissions. (This term is preferred be equipped for the next job while producing
over doped lamps). the actual one, without any danger for the
staff involved. This reduces downtime when a
Additive primaries The colours red, green change is made to the new order.
and blue when the lights of these colours are
added together in equal proportion, they pro- After-tack The condition of an ink when it
duce the sensation of white light. develops a stickiness after it has been left to dry
naturally or from a heat-drying operation.
Additives Ink components used during formula-
tion and at press side to manipulate chemical Age resistance or shelf life The resistance
ink balance and performance properties. to deterioration by oxygen and ozone in the
air and by heat and light or internal chemical
Add-on control device An air pollution con- action.
trol device such as an oxidiser, solvent recovery
or carbon absorption system that reduces the Agglomerate A cluster of un-dispersed parti-
pollution in an exhaust gas. cles of ink pigment.
Addressable output resolution The Aggregate A series of clusters of un-dispersed

maximum number of images positioned along ink pigment.
a straight line that can be addressed by a
barcode designer. This resolution would exclude Agitation A stirring action; violent or irregular
further resolution enhancing techniques per- in motion.
formed by the imaging device or software that
are beyond the control of the designer. Air circulation The air ducting system in the
drying section of a flexo printing machine has
Adhesion promoter Additive to flexo printing to be designed in such way that: (1) The de-
inks which increases the adhesion of ink to sired/required drying capacity is guaranteed,
the substrate. which is determined to a considerable extent by
the permissible residual solvent levels. (2) Any
Adhesion test Methods used to determine organic solvent levels in the discharge air are
the adequacy of ink coating adhesion to a sub- as high as possible. However solvent concen-
strate. A common test is the crosscut tape test. trations under any circumstances may not be
reached that are any closer than 0.5 times the
Adhesive Any material that is applied to one ‘lower explosion’ limit.
or both surfaces to form a bond between
the two. Air cylinders These are used for the adapta-
tion of sleeves. There are basically two types,

Air flows – Anhydrous
the (not common) conical and the generally Alkali resistance The relative ability to with-
accepted cylindrical type. The air inlet system stand the action of alkalis; as distinguished from
is mainly related to the type of sleeve used. soap resistance.
There are basically two different sleeves, the
pure nickel and the plastic (glass-fibre or Kevlar) Alkali test A test to evaluate resistance of
sleeves. This is important for the establishment printed packages, labels, etc, to alkali.
of the number, the position and the diameter of
the holes. There are also possibilities to remake Alkalinity In testing paper for alkalinity, the
existing cylinders. specimen is extracted with water at a definite
temperature and the extract is tested to deter-
Air flows in a flexo machine There are mine its pH value. The condition that results in
the following air flows in a conventional dryer: an alkaline solution when paper is extracted
(1) Fresh air is that sucked in from outdoors or with water.
from within the room via fresh air inlets, which
is in principle free from any solvent (also water). Aluminium coating A coating composed
(2) In-leaked air or secondary air is that which of aluminium paste or powder and a mixing
reaches the air circulation system of a drying varnish or vehicle.
section via the web guidance openings and
this is also fresh air in principle. (3) Blowing air Aluminium foil A sheet section of aluminium
or supplied air is that which is blown onto the metal rolled to a thickness of less than 0.006”
web of substrate through the drying nozzles. or 0.01524 mm.
(4) Discharged air is all that extracted from
the drying chambers (blowers + in-locked air). Ambient conditions A term used to denote
(5) Outgoing air is the discharged air that is the existing temperature, pressure, etc, of the
removed completely from a drying system. surrounding air.
(6) Re-circulated air is the discharged air that
is added to the blower to supply again for Amines A nitrogen containing component of
drying purposes. water-based inks and coatings that, when mixed
with acrylic resins, allows them to go into and
Alcohol A family of volatile organic solvents remain in solution.
commonly used in flexographic inks, containing
the grouping C-OH. The most common members Amorphous Devoid of definite form, having
of this group are methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, no definite crystalline structure.
propyl and isopropyl alcohol.
Analogue proofing Proof which can be
Alignment Arranged in a straight line. Mostly made at different stages of flexographic pre-
used in flexography during the mounting of vari- press to ensure all details are placed on the
ous printing formes. forme to complete the job.
Aliphatic hydrocarbons Solvents obtained Anchor coat A coating (primer) applied to the
by fractionation of crude petroleum oil. Exam- surface of a substrate to effect or increase the
ples are textile spirits, VMP naphtha, gasoline adhesion of subsequent ink coatings.
and kerosene. Frequently used as part of the
solvent mixture in co-solvent and polyamide type Anchoring The bonding or fusing of inks to the
flexo inks in conjunction with Buna-N plate. material on which they are printed.
Alkali Any chemical that undergoes dissocia- Angle of illumination This is the angle by
tion in water with the formation of hydrous ions. which an object is illuminated by a certain
Alkalis have a pH greater than 7.0 a higher light source, this is important for the judging of
number indicatives greater alkalinity. Alkali colours and quality inspections.
properties include caustic, bitter taste and turn-
ing litmus paper blue. See also pH. Anhydrous Free from water, ie anhydrous

Aniline dyes – Anti-skid compounds
alcohol is free from water. Anode The positively charged electrode.
Aniline dyes Derivatives of coal tar, classi- Anionic Curing procedure with negatively
fied by chemical composition. Basic dyes have charged ions, in flexo used for the curing of
extreme brightness but are not light fast, while some types of UV inks.
acid dyes are less brilliant but are light fast.
Anti aliasing In a digitised image, diagonal
Aniline printing Early name for rubber plate lines are treated as short horizontal and vertical
printing using fast drying fluid inks, now obso- lines that approximate the path of the desired
lete. See Flexography. line. At lower resolutions, this will produce a
stair stepped affect known as aliasing. Anti-
Aniline (dyes) The former term for flexogra- aliasing algorithms remove these ‘jaggies’ to
phy was aniline printing. This was derived from produce smoother lines.
aniline dyes.
Anti friction bearings A bearing used to
Anilox roller An engraved ink metering roller reduce frictional drag by means of the use of
used in flexo presses to provide a controlled narrow wheels, rollers or air to support the
film of ink to the printing plates used to print the rotating shaft.
substrate. The inked film is affected by the num-
ber of cells per linear inch, the volume and the Anti-penetrate Any material that reduces
shape of the individual cells in the engraving. penetration into the stock.
Anilox system The inking system commonly Anti-foaming agent An additive used in ink
employed in flexographic presses, consisting to prevent or break down foam that has already
of an elastomer covered fountain roller running formed.
in the ink pan. Adjustable against a contact-
ing engraved metering roller, the two as a unit Antioxidant A substance which prevents or
adjustable to the printing plate roller, elastomer reduces the rate of oxidation due to exposure of
design roller or plain elastomer coating roller, the material to air or oxygen.
as the case may be. Ink is flooded into the
engraved cells of the metering roller, excess Anti-rust paper Paper containing substances
doctored off by the wiping or squeezing action that give it the property of protecting surfaces of
of the fountain roller or a doctor blade and that ferrous metals against rusting.
which remains beneath the surface of the meter-
ing roller is transferred to the printing plates. Anti-skid compounds Ink additives used to
retard slippage factors during the stacking and
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Anti-skid varnish – Azeotropic mixture
handling of packaging. complete combustion of a weighed sample.
Anti-skid varnish A generally clear resin Asphaltum (asphalt) A dark coloured, resin-
coating formulated and applied to large flexible ous substance, soluble in hydrocarbon solvents
packaging to retard slippage during stacking and used as a moisture barrier in heavy lamina-
and handling. tions and for other special purposes.
App A software application usually download- Assembly system A system for mounting
able to a mobile device. of printing formes, which can be completely
manual, with a few options such as double
Apparent dot gain Site where the measured sided mirrors or fully digital and automatic from
or visible printed area seems to be affected by a computer program over video mounters, con-
dot gain in relation to the original, which is not nected to the main frame and connected to the
necessarily caused by the increase of the dimen- die-cutting design (corrugated board).
sion of the dot but by other parameters such as
the anilox roller, ink flow, drying, etc. Augmented reality (AR) Integration of
digital information with live video or the user’s
Apparent trap See Ink tray percentage. environment in real time. Used to integrate
marketing into packaging and promote interac-
Applicator roller Examples are coating roller, tion with customers through connection to other
print roller, tint roller, lacquer or varnish roller. media sources. Activated through scanning the
label or packaging with a mobile device using
AQL Acceptable quality level. a dedicated software application.
Aqueous Inks or other coatings having formu- Auto register During printing, the web video
lations based on water only. calculates the values for register correction
and transfers them to the printing press. Based
AR See Augmented reality. on these correction values, the register is set
automatically by means of the CNC colour deck
Aromatic hydrocarbons Petroleum based position system.
solvents characterised by benzene or a closed
ring molecular configuration. Used sparingly in Automatic gear wheel engagement Print-
flexographic inks. ing cylinder wheels are automatically engaged
with the gearwheel of the central cylinder (if
Artwork The original design, including draw- available) with the help of sensors, taking
ings, photos and text produced by the artist or advance registration into account.
designer.
Automatic washing systems These are
As applied The condition (formulation) of an available in various types, abilities and prices
ink after its dilution to proper viscosity, just prior for the cleaning of the metering systems, which
to applying to the substrate. are in contact with printing inks. The cleaning
time varies with the advance of the system, the
ASCII file environment A file encoded in chemicals etc, used and the demanded specifi-
the industry standard representation for text. cations in accordance with the process and
An ASCII file contains only plain text and basic the products.
text formatting characters such as spaces and
carriage returns but no graphics or special Axis The line around which a rotating body
character formatting. such as a roller or cylinder rotates.
Ash Inorganic or mineral filler used in Azeotropic mixture A liquid mixture of two
paper, board and paper products in general. or more substances that behave like a single
Determined by weighing the residue after the substance, in that the vapour produced by

Back printing – BCM
partial evaporation of the liquid has the same Bandwidth The range of wavelengths
composition as the liquid. This means the mix- between two identified limits, expressed in the
ture cannot be separated by distillation. same units as wavelength (nm).
An example is ethyl and methyl alcohol.
Bar width reduction A pre-press function of
B decreasing the barcode image width to com-
pensate for normal image growth as predeter-
Back printing See Reverse printing. mined by press fingerprinting and production
monitoring; it is analogous to dot gain for
Backup copy A copy of a file or data set that halftone dots.
is kept for reference in case the original file or
data set is destroyed. Barcode A symbol consisting of an alternating
series of thick and thin lines (may also include
Back exposure Exposure by UVA light from readable characters) used to encode product
the reverse of photopolymer used for the and other information. Barcodes are readable
printing formes to create a base prior to with an optical scanner.
platemaking.
Bare cylinder diameter The diameter of
Backup printing To print on the reserve side the actual plate cylinder before the tape and
of a printed sheet. See also Reverse printing. plates are mounted.
Backup roller See Impression cylinder. Barrier (coating) An obstructing agent serv-
ing to separate one element from another or
BACT See Best available control technology. limit the migration or infiltration of one into
the other.
Balance Even distribution of the mass or a
cylinder or roller about its axis. Base (1) A full strength ink or toner. (2) The
major ingredient used in a clear lacquer,
Balancing A procedure to bring a cylinder or varnish or ink. May refer to either the solvent
roller into the required defined balance. or binder system. (3) A coating applied to a
substrate to enhance subsequent application of
Baler A machine used to compress recyclable inks or coatings. (4) Film before the addition of
material into bundles to reduce volume. Balers a coating. (5) The anilox roller before it is en-
are used often on newspapers, plastic, cor- graved. (6) The core of a design roller before
rugated cardboard and other assorted paper the application of elastomer.
products.
Base alignment On a typesetter or printer,
Ball bearing Bearing using small metal balls a mode specifying that the lower reference
to avoid friction such as transport rollers and edge of all letters in a line of mixed sizes or
the like in a printing machine. See also Needle styles should be horizontally even; also called
bearings and Bearings. baseline alignment.
Ball mill (or bead mill) Semi-circular Base cylinder The cylinder used to accept a
moulding. The formation of ball shaped drops sleeve mounting or any other system.
(pearls) during printing and also used for a
certain type of engraving of anilox roller. Basis weight The weight of paper defined in
grams per square metre (gsm).
Banding The undesirable effect occurring in
blends or ingredients where the image exhibits BCM The abbreviation for one billion cubic
bands when printing because the colour transi- microns per square inch, which is the measure-
tion is too long or has too many steps. ment of the volume of ink in an average

Bearer – Bleed
engraved anilox cell. Can also be given Binder (1) The adhesive components of an
in cm3/m2. ink, normally supplied by the resin formulation.
(2) In paper, an adhesive component used to
Bearer (1) Also called guiding stripes. Type bond inert filler, such as clay, to the sheet or to
high supports (mostly same material as the affix short fibres firmly (securely) to paper or
printing forme) mounted around each end of a board stock.
plate cylinder to help carry part of the impres-
sion load and to help prevent bounce. (2) Biodegradability The ability of a substance
When vulcanising rubber plates or matrices, to be broken down physically and/or chemi-
the metal spacers used to separate the platens, cally by micro-organisms.
in order to produce finished, moulded and
vulcanised plates or matrices of the desired Bit A binary digit, the smallest information
thickness. In photo-engraving, bearers are the entity, it is expressed as 1 or 0, meaning on or
dead metal remaining on a plate that support off, yes or no, positive or negative, something
and protect the printing surface during mould- or nothing.
ing operations.
Bitmap A computerised image consisting
Bearings These are very important elements of dots. Images are ‘mapped’ directly from
in a flexographic printing machine as the print corresponding bits in memory, whereby each
quality is dependent upon the condition of dot is represented by a binary digit (bit) that is
bearings used for all major cylinders to give ‘on’ (1) or ‘off’ (0). Also referred to as a paint
each individual cylinder and roller an accept- format.
able total indicated run out (See TIR). Several
types of bearings are used in flexo but high Black body A term describing a well defined,
quality, precision needle bearings are the theoretical light source used to specify the
most common. spectral composition of light.
Beater A large mixer used to mix the pulp to Black heat See Infrared light.
make paper and board.
Black See Process black.
Beater dyed A paper produced from the pulp
coloured in the beater. Blade coated paper Coated by a process
in which the freshly applied wet coating is
Benchmark A point of reference from which smoothed and the excess removed by a thin,
measurements can be made, such as the use flexible metal blade, which bears on the
of a program to evaluate the performance of coated surface.
a computer. It is any standard against which
products can be compared. Blanking The process where each individual
image or product is cut out of the press sheet
Ben day A system of dots of patterns used by before forming is done.
the engraver to effect shading.
Bleach The method of measuring the tinctorial
Best management practices Procedures or strength of an ink or toner, usually by mixing
controls other than emission or effluent limita- a small portion of ink or toner with a large
tions to prevent or reduce pollution, eg ink amount of white base and then evaluating its
management, inventory control and purchas- tinctorial strength vs. a control standard.
ing or clean-up procedures.
Bleed (1) In certain substrates, when the ink is
Biaxial oriented polypropylene Material partially dissolved by the liquid or solvent plas-
that is stretched directly after extrusion in one ticisers, it causes the ink to run or migrate into
direction, square on the web direction. unwanted areas adjacent to the printed area.
It can also describe the condition resulting from

Blind embossed – Bounce
insufficient drying of the preceding printed Blushing A milky, foggy or flat appearance in
colour, causing the trapping colour to lose its an ink or coating caused by excessive moisture
colour value such as red printing over a wet condensation or incompatibility of one of the
white, resulting in pink. (2) To print beyond the ingredients.
cut edge or score so that the design is either
cut off or folded under, resulting in a printed BMP See Best management practices.
area that extends to the edge.
Board A term applied to paper above an
Blind embossed A logo, text or design which accepted weight. The substance when papers
has been relief stamped into a substrate onto becomes known as board varies a great deal
which no printing has been added. between manufacturers from as low as 180
gsm to as high as 250 gsm. The lower weight
Blister Small raised area caused by expan- usually refers to boards in the graphic sector.
sion of trapped gas or fluid beneath the
surface, used to create blister packaging. Body Refers to the viscosity or flow character-
istics of an ink or vehicle.
Block test A test to measure the tendency of
surface-to-surface sticking. Body type The typeface used in the majority
of the copy in reading matter, as opposed to
Blocking (1) An undesired adhesion between headline or display type.
touching layers of material caused by moder-
ate pressure and/or temperature change. (2) Bodying agent A substance added to ink to
The extent to which damage to at least one increase its viscosity.
surface is visible upon the separation.
Bold face (1) A heavy typeface, in contrast to
Bloom A milky veil that appears on the a light type face, used to create emphasis in
surface of prints under adhesive conditions the body text. Bold face The original name of
of heat and humidity. It is usually the result of the paper used for printing stock and bond cer-
too rapid solvent evaporation, which causes tificates. (2) Bold face now refers to a paper
condensation of moisture on the surface. See grade that is free of fuzz.
also Exudation.
Bond strength This is the strength which is
Blue line Proofs that are blue image photo expressed for the bond of two or more differ-
prints made from film negatives or positives, ent laminated, co-extruded substrates with ink,
they are used to check the position of image glue and lacquering layers, etc, which can be
elements and to show colour breaks (by vary- expressed in N/m2 or any other ISO or DIN
ing exposure time to produce light and dark value.
blue images) but not process colour.
Bottoming An expression used in pre-press,
Blue wool scale An old test method to eg for using the process colours as bottom for
judge the influence of light and corresponding a black font. This way the colour looks more
environment on colour. Originally used in the intense and measures a higher density value.
textile trade but in 1954 was adopted by the
graphics industry. The scale consists of eight Bounce The abnormal reaction to compres-
strips of wool with colours, which are precisely sion, resulting from the cylinder’s erratic rota-
defined from one to eight. The samples to be tional movements, causing missed or imperfect
tested are exposed to light sources for a num- impressions. These imperfections are evident
ber of days under different conditions, these as horizontal lines or bands of decreasing
are later compared with the different wool intensity on the leading edge. In extreme
samples and given a number. One is very cases, the horizontal lines will also appear on
sensitive to light up to eight, which is not. the trailing edge.

Boundary layer – Butt splice
Boundary layer A layer of saturated air that is required at one emission point or where
accumulates above the substrate surface as the control costs are higher or more difficult
ink’s liquid components evaporate. to achieve.
Bourges A patented masking medium on a Buckle folder A folding unit consisting of

dimensionally stable base. moving tapes or belts to carry the substrate
through fold plates, where it buckles slightly.
Boxboard A paperboard of sufficient calibre The buckle is pulled downward by rotating
and test to be used in the manufacture of rollers, creating a fold. Buckle folders are often
paperboard boxes. Commonly used grades used for parallel folds.
are chip, straw, jute, patent coated and
clay-coated. Specifications for boxboard are Bulk A term denoting the thickness (or the
designated by kind, finish, calibre, dimensions, relative thickness) of a sheet, expressed as the
regular number (for standard sizes 25’ x 20’) number of pages (two pages per sheet) or the
and count (for odd sized sheets). number of sheets (multiplied by two) needed
to become ‘thick’. It is an important factor
Brass mounted plates Printing plates, which where a volume of paper will be converted
are pre-mounted onto thin gauge brass, ready into products such as books, envelopes and
to be clamped onto the plate cylinder. business forms and must fit into a specified
shipping container.
Brayer A handheld roller used to apply ink to
a mounted plate for proofing during the mount- Bull-gear or central gear A gear with
ing process. straight or angled teeth, which drives the
printing-decks and the CI drum or all individual
Bridging A print defect of halftone or screen impression cylinders.
where the individual dots join or bridge
together. Bult register The condition where two colours
touch each other without an allowance for
Brightness The quality of whiteness and overprint trap.
intensity as emitted from printed or unprinted
surfaces. Burn (1) Exposure of uncured photopolymer
to ultraviolet light during the plate production
British Thermal Unit (BTU) A unit of energy, process. (2) Process of making the cells into a
it is the quantity of heat required to raise the ceramic anilox roller. (3) Direct making of a
temperature of one pound of water by 1° F. printing forme or exposure of a black mask for
See also Calorie. conventional wash-out.
Brittleness of ink A condition where ink Burrs An expression for a rough, sometimes
printed on foil decomposes or peels from fold- curly sharp edge on a cut off area because of
ing the substrate. a malfunctioning slitting or cutting device. This
can cause problems during further conversion
Bronze A metallic sheen characteristic of or during winding.
some printed inks where the appearance of
the print depends on the viewing angle and Bursting strength Paper’s resistance to rup-
illumination. ture under pressure, indicated in pounds per
square inch on a Mullen or pop tester.
BTU See British Thermal Unit.
Butt splice An end-to-end joining of two
Bubble Existing sources of air pollution within similar materials to achieve continuity of
a facility(ies), which may control air emissions surface, design, etc. Butt splicing is also used
for a number of different types of processes, to join sticky back, printing plates and webs
where reduction in pollution can be more than of substrate in process such as heavy papers

Butyl alcohol – Carton
and boards at the unwind or rewind, in which Calorie A unit of energy described as the
case, the thickness or the substrate prevents amount of heat required to raise one gram of
using the lap (overlap) splice. water by 1°C. See also British Thermal Unit.
Butyl alcohol Ester made from the butyl fam- Capillary action Surface tension, which
ily of alcohol. See Acetate. causes liquid to rise or fall when it comes in
contact with a solid. Examples are liquids rising
BWR See Bar width reduction. in capillary tubes, blotting paper, wicks, etc.
In printing it is the force that transfers inks and
C coatings from engraved cells of an anilox roller
to a contacting surface.
C° Degrees Centigrade; °C = 5/9 x (°F 3(2)).
Capture device A drying system, hood,
Caking When dried ink collects on the rollers enclosed room, floor sweep or other method of
and plates. collecting solvent or other pollutants into a duct.
The pollutant can then be directed to a pollution
Calcium carbonate Chalk pigment used as control device such as an incinerator or carbon
a filler in some papers, usually neutral sized absorber or to atmosphere.
grades, also used as a white coating mix.
Capture efficiency The fraction of organic
Calender The equipment used in heat transfer vapours generated by a process that is directed
printing where designs on the transfer paper are to an abatement or recovery device. The
vaporised into the fabric. percentage of air emissions that are removed
during the transfer of ink and movement of the
Calender stack A group of rollers through web by the drying system and exhausted out or
which material is passed in the calendering to a control device.
operation.
Carbon absorber An add-on device using
Calendering A process that increases density activated carbon to absorb volatile organic
and improves surface smoothness and gloss compounds from a gas stream.
in paper
Carbon absorption A process of remov-
Calibration The process of setting a device to ing contaminants through a system containing
conform to a standard or pre-set condition; often activated carbon treated to attract the
used to correct for drift or change in the device’s contaminants.
performance characteristics and to bring it back
to norm. Carbon black The expression for the colourant
of most black ink. The best producer is soot
Calliper The thickness measurement of a single made by gas flames burning on a chilled steel
sheet of paper as defined by TAPPI Method cylinder, which is then scraped off.
T411 and reported in mils or thousandths of an
inch (1 mil = 0.001”). Multiply inches by 25.4 Carbon monoxide A colourless, odourless,
micrometers and round to the nearest whole poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning
number to find metric thickness. Also used to of carbon based fuels, including gasoline, oil
identify thickness of other printing materials and wood.
such as plates, mounting tape, etc. See Gauge
for flexible film substrate thickness and Point for Carcinogen A chemical capable of causing
paperboard thickness. cancer.
Calliper gauge A micrometer used to measure Carton A container usually made of relatively
the thickness of a sheet of material. thin carton or folding board but sometimes
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Casein – CI press
the manufacturer to the user in either flat or delivery capability of a group of cells in a given
collapsed form. area usually expressed in cm3/m2. Other types
of measurements can be used.
Casein A protein usually obtained from milk
used to make volume, adhesive solutions and Cell/wall ratio In anilox rollers, the cell/wall
coatings. Also acts as the binder for aqueous ratio used to be 1:3.5 up to 1:5 in the past but
dispersions of pigments for a variety of trades. is now 1:7 and higher, because of the finer
screens used and the demands for more volume
Cast coating A method of drying coated pa- in spite of the fine screens.
per by contact of the freshly coated surface with
a highly polished chromium plated heated metal Cellophane A transparent, flexible sheet-
surface. Cast coated papers or boards have an ing consisting of regenerated cellulose plus
extremely high gloss finish for top quality print- plasticizers, with or without functional coatings,
ing. The finish is obtained by the coating mix such as moisture-proof, etc. Cellophane gained
solidifying whilst in contact with the polished widespread use in the early 1930s and is
surface, resulting in the surface of the paper or credited with helping the flexo printing process
board possessing the mirror like quality of the to flourish.
surface on which it is dried.
Cellosolve Trade name for ethylene glycol
Catalyst A substance that causes an increase mono ethyl ether, a retarding solvent in flexog-
in the rate of a chemical reaction without being raphic inks. (Forbidden for most food packag-
permanently altered by the reaction. ing and the like).
Catalytic inks A variety of inks suitable for the Cellulose Binder for several products and inks
catalytic after burning usually with the use of made from wood and lint (cotton fibres).
solvent ink products. See Catalytic incinerator.
Cellulose acetate A clear, thermoplastic mate-
Catalytic incinerator A control device that rial, usually in film form, made from cellulose
oxidises volatile organic compounds by using and acetic acid.
a catalyst to promote the combustion process.
Catalytic incinerators require lower tempera- Cellulose acetate butyrate A clear, thermo-
tures than conventional thermal incinerators, plastic material made from cellulose reacted
thus saving fuel and other costs. with both acetic and butyl-acid. It is used as
a packaging film and in coatings, such as
Cationic inks These are a variety of UV cur- lamination.
able inks. See UV curable inks.
Cellulose fibre In paper making, the fibrous
Caustic See Alkali. material remaining after the non-fibrous com-
ponents of wood have been removed by the
cc Cubic centimetre. pulping and bleaching operations.
CCD See Charged couple device. Centre line A line added to indicate the centre
of an object.
CD See Cross direction.
Centipoise A measure of viscosity, conveni-
Cell count The number of cells per linear inch ently and approximately defined, relative to the
(or centimetre) in an engraved anilox roller. viscosity of water at room temperature, which is
1.0. Higher values indicate a ‘thicker’ liquid.
Cell depth In anilox rollers, the depth of a cell
measured in microns. Central impression (Cl) cylinder press
A type of printing press. The web being printed
Cell volume In anilox rollers, the volume is in continuous contact with a single large

Central impression cylinder – Chemical pulp
diameter impression cylinder and the colour Characteristic curves This is the line follow-
stations arranged around the circumference of ing the comparison between the surface cover-
the central impression cylinder. ing in film (electronic data) and the final results
in printing. This is also known as the
Central impression cylinder (CI) This is a Munsell diagram.
temporised cylinder on 320 C + or – 0.10 C,
made from steel or cast iron. The rotation ac- Character set The entire set of characters that
curacy from the top of the line models is at least can be either shown on a monitor or used to
0.005 mm or better. The surface is ground and code computer instructions. In a digital printer,
polished and either plasma or chrome plated. it is the entire set of characters that the printer is
The bearings are self-adjusting roller bearings capable of printing.
with an automatic lubrication system. There are
single wall and double wall cylinders. Characteristic waste Wastes that are defined
as hazardous because they exhibit one or more
Central or bull gear Gear with straight or of the following general qualities: ignitable,
angled teeth, which drives the printing decks oxidising, corrosive, reactive, lethal and toxic.
and the CI drum or all individual impression
cylinders. See also Bull gear. Charged Couple Device (CCD) Photo-
sensitive CCDs are used in scanners, digital
Ceramic Any shape that is first shaped and cameras, video cameras etc. Basically the CCD
then hardened by means of heat. Ceramic reads the image by storing a group of charges
coated anilox rollers are used in flexographic based on the image to which it is exposed.
printing to meter the ink. These charges are analogue charges as op-
posed to simple digital on/off charges. Thus,
CFC See Chlorofluorocarbon. degrees of light and colour can be grabbed to
transfer a visual image into a group of electrical
Chalking Occurs when the pigment in the charges and then to the computer screen, video
printed ink is not properly bound to the paper, tape or printer.
becoming powdery and easily rubbed off.
Chattering Horizontal lines or bands in print-
Chambered doctor blade This is the expres- ed solids or screens of varying colour intensity.
sion for a set of positive and negative angled
blades mounted in a closed chamber. See Doc- Check digit Built into barcodes, an algo-
tor blade, Doctor blade holder etc. rithm, which verifies the valid combination of
characters.
Changeover The process or processes that
take place when the printer changes from one Checking The short, shallow cracks on the
production order to the next. Often includes surface of a rubber product caused by exposure
changing ink, anilox rollers, printing plates, to extreme environmental conditions, such as
metering system, substrate and any inline ozone.
finishing equipment.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) The
Character Each individual letter, symbol or measure or capacity of oxygen consumption in
punctuation mark that makes up a full typeface. inorganic and organic matters present in water.
Character count The number of characters in- Chemical pulp Fibre pulp made by means of
cluded in a block of text. In graphic arts, spaces chemicals that dissolve the bonding agent lignin
are counted but other non-printing characters in the wood. The chemical pulping process pro-
are not. In information processing, both printing duces all the energy it needs through burning
and non-printing characters are the dissolved wood constituents and recovering
usually included. and regenerating the pulping chemicals.

Chill substance – Clay coated board
Chemical substance Any inorganic or organ- tated iron blue and chrome yellow.
ic substance of a particular molecular identity or
any element of uncombined radical. Chrome yellow A light-resistant opaque
yellow pigment composed essentially of lead
Chill roller A metal roller or drum cooled chromate.
internally with a solution, such as water or
brine; these rollers are normally used after the Chromium plate A thin covering of chromium
press dryer to cool the printed web prior to usually electroplated, over a copper or nickel
rewinding. Also used in some presses to enable base to increase the surface wear properties.
printing on heat sensitive substrates.
Cl press See Central impression press.
China clay A natural white, fine mineral pig-
ment used for coating paper and extending ink. CIE See Commission Internationale de
l’Eclairage.
Chipboard A low quality non-test paperboard
made of waste paper used when specified CIELab Adopted by CIE, it is a standard, objec-
strength or quality is not necessary. tive colour measurement system, widely used for
quantitative colour measurement and control. L
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) A family of represents the ‘lightness’ of the sheet and varies
chemicals used in air conditioners and refrig- from 1,00 for a perfect white to 0 for absolute
erators as coolants and also as solvents and black; +a indicates redness; -a indicates green-
aerosol propellants. They drift into the upper ness: +b indicates yellowness and -b indicates
atmosphere where the chlorine components blueness.
destroy the ozone layer.
CIE standard illuminant Common lighting
Chloroprene rubber This is an artificial conditions used to evaluate colour as defined
compound ‘rubber’ product which also known by the CIE in terms of relative spectral power
as Neoprene. It is used in flexography for print- distributions or colour temperature; lower num-
ing formes and ‘rubber’ covering of printing bers are warmer/redder, higher numbers are
cylinders. colder/bluer.
Choke roller The printing roller carrying the CIE standard observer A hypothetical, aver-
background or overall pattern. See also Design age human observer who sees colour at a 2’
roller. viewing angle as defined in a 1931 CIE study.
A supplementary observer for a larger viewing
Choke trap The intentional overlap of a lighter angle of 10’ was adopted in 1964. The 2’
background onto a darker object needed to standard observer should be assumed if not
ensure that a slight misalignment or movement otherwise specified. If the field of view is larger
of separations on press will not affect the final than 4’, the 10’ standard observer should
appearance of the job, ie colour or white be used.
fringes or borders around image detail. Called
trapping in digital imaging systems. See also Circumferential register control See
Trapping. Running register.
Chroma Colour attributes such as shade, satu- C1S Coated one side.
ration and hue. See L*C*h value.
Clamp marks Marks produced by clamps
Chromatic scale The colours of the spectrum: holding the stock in position for guillotine
red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. trimming.
Chrome green A fairly light resistant, opaque Clay coated board A high quality paper-
green pigment made by mixing freshly precipi- board, the surface of which is coated with

Clean edge – Colour control
pigment or pigment-like solids and appropriate Co-extrusions Film produced by more than
binders. one extruder through a common die. Films have
been made with as many as 13 layers.
Clean edge Refers to a very fine perforated
line that simuilates the affect of a guillotine cut Cohesive This is the ability of one body to
edge, also known as microperf. attract to another so that there is a sticking
together. The term is used mainly for co-extru-
Cling Tendency for adjacent materials to sions, laminates, lacquers, inks, etc, for sticking
adhere to each other as in blocking, except together and to a surface.
that the surfaces can be separated without any
visible damage. CO2 laser Laser consisting of one or several
quartz glass tubes filled with CO2 gas. The
Cloud computing Delivering hosted services CO2 is activated either by high voltage or radio
over the Internet. frequency. During the following deactivation
process of the CO2 molecules, they emit radia-
CLP Regulation Classification of Labelling tion. This radiation is amplified in the resonator,
and Packaging Regulation (Regulation (EC) the heart of the laser and formed into a bundle
1272/2008). of rays, which can be focused by a system
of mirrors.
CMYK Standard process colours used in four
colour printing – cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow Colourimeter An optical measuring device
(Y) and black (K) with K standing for key colour. that responds to colour in a manner similar to
the human eye by filtering reflected light into its
Coated paper or board Coated on one or dominant regions of red, green and blue. This
both sides with a mixture of china clay, latex determines a colour’s numeric CIELab value.
and other loading to fill surface pits to improve
the printing surface. The process can be accom- Cold foil The method of printing a foil image
plished either on line or on the paper machine or embellishment onto the substrate using a UV-
or away from the paper machine as a separate curable cold foil adhesive.
operation. There is a variety of coating meth-
ods, these include roll coating, blade coating, Cold seal A variety of glue that is used for bag
air knife coating and brush coating or combina- and products which need to be resealed under
tions thereof. Cast coating is a high quality form normal circumstances without the aid of heat.
of off machine coating.
Cold set Web printing in which the ink is
Coat weight The amount of coating on a base allowed to dry by penetration on an absorbent
paper expressed as dry weight on a given area paper without heat.
in grams per square metre (gsm).
Colour balance The combination of yellow,
Cockling A rippling effect given to the surface cyan and magenta needed to produce a
of a sheet of paper which has not been properly neutral grey.
dried. Moisture pick-up of the sheet can also
cause the cockling or wavy affect. Colour comprehensive Design work, which
illustrates in detail size, layout, colour, copy,
Coefficient of friction (COF) Measure of the copy positioning, type style, etc, of the pro-
slip properties between two surfaces. posed finished reproduction.
Coefficient of friction tester A device for Colour control Standards and consistent qual-
measuring slip resistance of various flexible ity are maintained in flexo by the correct impres-
substrates having an inclining plane and block sion and ink viscosity. Modern process control
upon which to attach samples to be tested. equipment will monitor this and inform

Colour control bar – Colour saturation
the operator of any variation of the previously Colour model See Colour space.
stated standard.
Colour monitor An RGB or composite moni-
Colour control bar A strip on the margin of tor, which uses separate video signals of red,
the printed sheet used to check print accuracy. green and blue, the three primary additive
colours. It uses these signals to display almost
Colour correction A photographic or elec- any number of hues, depending upon the
tronic process used to alter the colours in an computer software and calibration. This type
image, done to compensate for the limitations of of monitor usually produces clearer, sharper
the output device or to achieve the result desired colours and images than can be reproduced by
by the customer. Colours can be altered glob- printing CMYK process inks. Composite moni-
ally or selectively in the image. tors use one signal to combine the three primary
colours.
Colour difference The degree of non-match
between two colours which can be calculated Colour overlap See Trapping.
mathematically in CIELab colour space; also
called delta (∆) E. Colour overlay A transparent overlay, usually
acetate, on a black and white drawing on
Colour fastness See Light fastness. which each additional colour is indicated as a
guide for reproduction. A term sometimes used
Colour gamut See Gamut. at press-side referring to the number of colours
that overprint each other.
Colour hexagon Six-colour separation pre-
press system which was very popular for all Colour proof A printed or simulated printed
process flexographic printing. This was found image of each process colour (cyan, magenta,
later not to be the case. yellow and black) using ink, toners or dyes
to give a representation of the final printed
Colour key A proof consisting of acetate or reproduction.
polyester overlays attached in register to a back-
ing substrate. Each overlay carries the coloured Colour reproduction All graphical activities
image from a film negative. Colour breaks and necessary for the exact reproduction of a colour
traps can be judged but exact colour match to for the purpose of its reproduction in multi-
the final printed product cannot be made. copies.
Colour management System used for Colour resolution The number of different
calibrating machines to ensure accurate colour colours or grey scale values a system can work
rendering throughout the workflow. with or present. The value is usually given in
bits; each added bit doubles the number of
Colour matching To duplicate the hue, available colours. For example, eight-bit colour
chroma and lightness of a given colour sample, displays show 256 colours (or shades of grey).
usually by blending base mixing inks.
Colour rendering index (CRI) An indexed
Colour matching system (CMS) A system number used to indicate the degree to which a
of managing colour to achieve consistency real light source matches the ideal D50 source,
between devices. Ideally, colours on the moni- the higher the number, the better the match,
tor should represent accurately the colours in 100 denoting a perfect match. For colour evalu-
a scanned image and the colours on the final ating in a light booth, an index of 90 or higher
output. This consistency is accomplished by should be used.
creating ICC profiles of one device into a
device independent colour model and then Colour saturation A measure of the amount
mapping those colours to the colour gamut of of white light in a hue, high saturation means
another device. there is no white light component and the colour

Colour sequence – Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage
is intense or of good quality. the bluer the light, the lower the temperature,
the redder the light. A standard viewing light,
Colour sequence See Ink rotation. which should be neutral, is obtained with equal
amounts of red, green and blue lights at a
Colour scanner See Scanner. colour temperature of approximately 5000° K
(D50).
Colour separated art See Pre-separated art.
Colour theory The systems and science of
Colour separation The process of exposing colour usage (physical, chemical and emotional
an original colour image through RGB filters factors).
to produce complementary images, which will
be printed with CMYK inks. The final digital Colour transparency A full colour photo-
file includes masking (colour modification) for graphic positive image on a transparent sup-
specific inks and substrates, as well as halftone port, viewed with the aid of a back lit transpar-
screening to enable printing a uniform tone ency viewer.
scale with proper grey balance from extreme
highlights through mid-tones and shadows to Colourant That which renders colour; it may
maximum solid colour. be a pigment or dye or a combination of
the two.
Colour space Also known as colour model;
in graphics applications, the manner in which Colour way A specific combination of colours
colours can be defined or modified. Common in a pattern of a transfer type print design.
colour spaces are RGB, HSB, CMY and spot
(custom) colours. CIELab is the widely used Combination folder A folding unit which
perceptual colour space. incorporates the characteristics of both a knife
and buckle folder.
Colour specification The exact position and
numeric establishment of a colour in co-ordi- Combination plate In flexo, the printing of
nates in a specified colour system such CIELab halftones or screen tints and solid line or text
or any other system. copy using the same plate.
Colour standard A colour sample which Combination printing Printing with a selec-
serves as the target for the colour to be tion of different print processes in one pass,
reproduced. eg flexo, letterpress, litho, silk screen and foil
blocking.
Colour stations The individual section of
the press or set of rollers used to print each Combination run A common image that
individual colour. remains throughout a press run. Plate or
colour changes are made with different design
Colour strength The effective concentration of elements such as weight marks, UPC codes,
colorant per unit weight or volume of ink. ingredients, nutritional labelling, etc.
Colour target proof A proof that is not Commercial chemical product A chemical
profiled using the output source file; however, it substance that is manufactured or formulated for
represents the customer’s colour expectations. commercial or manufacturing use but becomes
hazardous waste when discarded. Examples
Colour temperature The temperature include some pesticides and pharmaceutical
assigned to any light source by matching it products.
against light radiating from a heated black
body. The spectral distribution emitted from Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage
the heated black body depends on its Kelvin (CIE) International standard body for colour
temperature. The higher the colour temperature, specifications.

Common impression cylinder press – Continuous tone
Common impression cylinder press See Concentrate Name given to an additive in ink
Central impression cylinder press. which contains only pure pigments and binder
(resin) to upgrade the colour of an ink.
Comp See Comprehensive layout.
Concentric A circle or sphere, one within
Compatible Refers to the ability to mix differ- another and having a common centre. For
ing solutions or materials together into a homog- example when the outside diameter (OD) of a
enous mixture, without kick out or haziness. roller or cylinder and the diameters of journals,
bearing steps, bore, etc, have a common
Compliance monitoring The collection and rotational axis.
evaluation of data, including self-monitoring re-
ports and verification, to show whether pollutant Concept proof A proof that is not profiled
concentrations and loads contained in permitted and is not used for matching colour, it is used
discharges are in compliance with the limits and to show the design layout and type but not the
conditions specified in a permit. expected colour.
Complementary colours A pair of contrast- Condensed type Proportionally narrow or

ing colours that produce a neutral hue when slender typefaces.
mixed in proportions.
Conductivity In practice the ability to guide
Composite art Artwork, where all colours electrical current in any form from a certain
are drawn on one piece of copy (not colour level.
separated), indicated by white and different
shades of black. Consistency The general body characteris-
tics of an ink (eg viscosity, uniformity) used to
Composite film Complete separations ready describe the rheological property of an ink, ie
for printing; usually created by a process called thick, thin or buttery.
stripping.
Contact angle The contact angle of doctor
Comprehensive layout (comp) A mock-up blades is a guideline for the proper function
of a printed piece showing all text and pictures of the doctor blade system and the amount of
in rough form but in the right size and in the residual ink on the surface of the anilox roller.
correct position. It is used to evaluate a design This is an important issue for the final quality of
before final text and artwork is produced. the printed product.
Compression set The extent to which the Container boards These are made to provide
rubber becomes distorted permanently after a variety of product containers usually from
subjecting a test sample to a known load, for a waste materials. However, they may be lined
specified time. It is expressed as a percentage with bleached or unbleached kraft or other
of the original thickness. papers, depending on end use. Some of these
boards may be treated with plastics to provide
Computer to plate (CtP) See Direct to plate. special characteristics.
Computer to sleeve (CtS) A system where Contaminant Any physical, chemical, biologi-
the plate is mounted on a sleeve and imaged in cal or radiological substance or matter that has
the round directly from a computer system using an effect on air, water or soil.
laser ablation.
Continuous tone (CT) An image that has not
CNC controlled units Computer Numeric been screened and contains a range of light
Controlled units, for instance for various func- to dark colour tones but must be converted to
tions of a flexographic printing machine. halftone dots in order to be printed.

Contract analogue proof – Corrosion
Contract analogue proof A proof that is Copolymer A polymer produced from a com-
made to a manufacturer’s recommendations bination of two or more dissimilar monomers.
for exposing and processing by a specific See also Polymer.
analogue proofing system, representative of
what the finished product will look like before Copy Manuscript, text, transparency, artwork
the design goes on press. or computer disk from which a printed piece is
to be prepared. The term is also used to refer to
Contract digital proof A proof that is the final printed result.
profiled to a specific digital proofing system,
representative of what the finished product will Copy boards The part of a process camera
look like before the design goes on press. where the original artwork is placed to be
reproduced onto photographic paper or film.
Contrast The difference between extreme
highlight and shadow areas of continuous tone Copy range See Dynamic range.
original or halftone reproduction. Image con-
trast is usually compressed to bring an original’s Coquille boards Pattern surfaced drawing
density range to that which can be reproduced boards that allow the artist to produce tone ef-
on a printing press. fects directly onto the original drawing.
Control chart A visual record of quality per- Core (1) A tube on which paper, film or foil is
formance in a statistical process, produced by wound for handling and shipment. (2) The metal
plotting the value of each sample drawn from body of a roller covered with rubber
the process in graph form with the number of
observations along the horizontal axis and the Core holder A device for affixing the core to
value of the observation along the vertical axis. the shaft.
Control target The standard set of graphic Corona treatment To improve a film surface’s
elements placed outside the live area of each of ink wet ability, the dyne level or surface tension
the pieces of film, used to monitor make ready is increased by applying a concentrated electri-
and if possible, the entire production run. When cal discharge.
printed, they superimpose to form a coloured
bar in various densities that enables the plate Corona discharge An electrical surface treat-
maker and printer to check by eye or instrument ment that encourages oxidation of a surface
the nature of each ink film, the strength and to reduce surface tension and improve ink
smoothness of ink and the registration of colour. adhesion.
Control strip This strip also called print control Corona discharge and web cleaning
strip, contains a number of elements which can systems Depending on the substrate that is to
be read with acceptable accuracy as to printing be printed, the materials must be either corona
pressure, right print direction, register, colour discharged and/or cleaned before printing.
setting and several other important parameters Heavily coated paper and or plastic substrates
which are essential for high print quality. Each must be discharged when they do not have a
reproduction has its own control strip but all are surface tension equal to 36 up to 40 DYN. If
similar. Flexographic associations have their this value cannot be reached, the surface needs
own normalised strips. to be treated. When the surface is ‘dirty’ or has
a lot of particles from any print interrupting or
Converter A manufacturer who takes raw ma- influencing nature, the surface must be cleaned
terials such as resin, polymer or paper pulp to either with ‘vacuum cleaner’ type of instruments
produce the final package (box, pouch, bag or or with a high voltage discharge device.
envelope). Printing may or may not be included
in the process. Corrosion Deterioration of a material by

Corrosion inhibitor – Cropping
chemical action, usually as a result of galvanic, coating, the hiding power.
acid, alkali action or oxidation.
CPS See Computer to sleeve.
Corrosion inhibitor A substance to prevent or
deter rust or corrosion. Cradle to grave system A procedure in
which hazardous materials are identified
Corrugated board The commercial name and followed as they are produced, treated,
for paper and board which is brought together transported and disposed of by a series of
by means of a corrugator or fluted paper with permanent, linkable, descriptive documents
one, two, three or more liners with two or more (e.g. manifests). Also a concept in which the
corrugated layers. generator of waste is reused or destroyed and
no longer exists. See also Manifest system.
Corrugated cases Large boxes made from
corrugated fibre board which are used as con- Crash A halo or double outline affect caused
tainers for packages. These cases are mainly by excessive plate impression to the stock or the
used for transit and storage purposes. transfer roller to the plate.
Corrugated press A sheet-fed inline press Crash finish A surface finish of paper similar
used to print sheets of combined corrugated to coarse linen.
board. These presses often have folding, gluing,
creasing and stacking equipment located inline Craters See Pock marks.
after the printing stations.
Crawling An ink/film property, if surface
Cosine response Description of the spatial wetting is very poor, it prevents the ink from
response to incident energy where response is forming into drops, leaving an uneven covering.
proportional to the cosine of the incident angle. See also Surface energy.
A radiometer with a diffuser or a photo respon-
sive coating will exhibit nearly cosine response. CRB See Coated recycled board.
Co-solvent One of two or more solvents in a Creep Cured or uncured rubber which deforms
mixture, which together dissolve a solid. over time and under stress. With rubber covered
rollers, the metal roller body is subject to creep,
Co-solvent ink An ink which contains more as well as the rubber, creep can also occur
than one solvent. when a roller is kept in storage without turning.
Cost/benefit analysis A quantitative evalu- Creepage The slight, continuous and cumula-
ation of the costs that would be incurred by im- tive tendency for a colour to drift out of register
plementing an environmental regulation, versus or position in the running direction.
the overall benefit to society of the proposed
action. CRI See Colour rendering index.
Cover sheet (1) A clear overlay taped or lami- Crimp seal A seal formed with a corrugated,
nated over artwork to provide surface protec- pressure type heat-seal mechanism. The seal has
tion. (2) In reference to liquid photopolymer, a a wavy appearance.
thin sheet of clear film used to protect
the negatives during plate-making. In reference Crinkle To wrinkle or wad the printed film
to sheet photopolymer, a protective polyester severely in order to determine ink flexibility.
sheet laminated to the image surface of the
polymer sheet. Crop marks Marks made on the outer edges
of artwork to designate the area to be printed.
Coverage The extent or degree a base mate-
rial is covered, coloured or hidden by an ink or Cropping To trim unwanted areas of an illustra-

Cross direction – Debris
tion, photo or other artwork. Cut-off In web printing the cut or print length
corresponding to the circumference of the plate
Cross direction The direction at a right angle cylinder and/or die-cutter; repeat length.
to the paper grain or flow of material through
a machine (paper machine, extruder, printing Cutback curve Data which indicates that half
press, etc). See also Machine direction. tone dot areas need to be compensated for
normal dot gain throughout the entire tone scale
Cross linkage In ink chemistry, the joining of during the printing process. The data is specific
two polymer molecules to each other. to particular substrates and process conditions.
Cross press See Cross direction. CT merge The function of combining two
CT files in such a manner that they appear to
Cross web See Cross direction. vignette together smoothly without noticeable
break between the images
Crown The difference in diameter between the
centre of a roller and reference points at or near CTP Computer to plate. See Direct to plate.
the ends of the face.
CTS See Computer to sleeve.
Crush cut A cut made by a rotary blade in
contact with an anvil or base roller. Cumulative impact The combined affects of
all chemical exposures on human health and the
Crushed board A situation where corrugated environment over time.
board is crushed on the edges.
Cure The process of hardening a heat set or
Cupping This describes the special top shape photo-reactive material. For example hardening
of the dots on a photopolymer plate, this ena- photopolymers requires exposing the photo-
bles the dot gain as a result of printing pressure initiator to UV light.
to an acceptable level.
Cyan See Process cyan.
Curl Distortion of an unrestrained sheet due
to differences in structure from one side of the Cylinder Usually refers to the printing cylinder
sheet to the other. The curl side is the concave only with or without sleeves. Other cylinder
side of the sheet, which may occur in substrates types are called rolls or rollers although the
and printing plates. mechanical abilities are similar.
Curve direction The direction of web travel on D

a flexo press.
Damper Usually a pivoted gate or valve used
CTG See Control technique guidelines. to control the flow of air or other gases, as in
the dryer.
CT See Continuous tone. An expression com-
monly used to designate an engraving. Dancer roller A web tensioning device in
the form of a roller that uses weights or springs
Curing The inducement of a chemical interac- which monitors web tension by controlling the
tion within a material (eg ink or adhesive) usu- unwind brake or rewind tension.
ally involving molecular cross linking resulting
in a change of the properties of the material, DCS See Desktop colour separation.
usually hardening.
DDCP See Direct digital colour proofs.
Cut To dilute or thin ink, lacquer, varnish, etc
with solvents or with clear base. Debris Dust which finds its way onto the print-
ing surface.

Deep relief powder moulding – DTP
Deep relief powder moulding (DRPM) The Density (1) A measure of the amount of light
rubber platemaking process where the finished reflected from the printed sheet or transmitted
plate relief is more than 0.125”. through a platemaking film. (2) The mass per
unit volume of a substance commonly measured
Deflection Deviation from a straight line under in g/cc.
load, eg fountain roller pressure against the an-
ilox roller, causes both to bend or bow slightly. Density – relation The absolute (optical)
Excessive bending of both or either one will density of a sample minus the absolute (optical)
result in uneven ink metering and subsequent density of the substrate, typically referred to as
non-uniform printing. ‘density minus paper’.
Degreasing In general making free with a Density – transmission The light absorbing
solvent or surface-active product from fat, oil property of a material expressed as the loga-
or other greasy products in order to make a rithm of the reciprocal of the transmitter.
perfect flow of ink. This applies mostly to the
printing cylinder, anilox rollers and other parts Density range See Dynamic range.
of the printing deck.
Density standards For process printing opin-
Delamination The partial or complete separa- ions are usually held as to the minimum density
tion of the layers in a laminate. and the density range of different colours. In
most companies for flexible packaging cyan
Delta E The calculated colour difference be- is kept at 1.4, magenta at 1.3, yellow at 1.1
tween the highlights and shadows of an image, and black as high as possible but at least 1.5
it is also the tonal, density and copy range. or more.
Deminimise A quantity that is small enough Dermal toxicity Adverse effects resulting from
and with insignificant impact that it serves as skin exposure to a substance.
a trigger to exempt firms/facilities with actual
exposure below the specified level from one or Desiccant (1) A dehydrating agent - absorbs
more provisions of the various environmental moisture by physical or chemical means. (2) A
and OSHA regulations. drying agent.
Densitometer A photo-electric instrument Design motif (1) A distinctive feature, shape

that measures the optical density of images or or figure or other thematic element in a work of
colours. A reflection densitometer measures art or a dominant idea or central theme. (2) A
the amount of incident light reflecting from the single or repeated design element or colour.
surface of a substrate such as ink on paper or
film. A transmission densitometer measures the Design roller A printing cylinder with an
amount of light transmitted through film from a elastomeric material affixed in position and
measured light source. engraved with a design used for seamless
printing.
Density – absolute The optical density ref-
erenced to a perfect reflecting diffuser through Design/layout station This is a computer-
calibration procedures, typically referred to as system, stand-alone or from a pre-press com-
‘density with paper/film included.’ pany, which is coupled to the main frame and
is designed for the making or changing of the
Density – reflection The light absorbing prop- graphic design and the making of the layout.
erty of a material expressed as the logarithm of
the reciprocal of the reflectance. A higher den- Desk top publishing systems (DTP)
sity indicates more light is absorbed or a darker Computer system for design, text and layout ma-
surface. Also referred to as print density. nipulation: (1) Closed systems, mostly full design

Desktop colour separation – Direct digital colour proof
stand alone systems. (2) Half open systems that die-cutting into blanks of given shape.
can be linked to some others. (3) Open systems
that can be work (and ‘talk’) together with other Die-cutter Equipment for a label printing press
systems in the total digital workflow. for cutting out the label shape, or a post-printing
corrugated sheet printing machine.
Desktop colour separation (DCS) A pre-
separated digital EPS file consisting of five Dies Any sharp cutting forms, rotary or flat,
files, one is the originally named file that is the used to cut shapes from paper, paperboard or
PICT preview to be imported into page layout other stocks.
programs; the other four end with C, M, Y and
respectively. In OPI settings, the PICT image is Diffusion A spreading out or equalised disper-
replaced with the high resolution file during the sion of a material, force or condition into the
RIPping process. surrounding medium, eg the diffusion of heat
by conduction; the diffusion of light through a
Detergent A surface active agent that, by translucent material or reflection from a rough
lowering the surface tension of water and by its surface; the diffusion of gases, liquids or granu-
emulsifying action, increases the wetting power lar solids into the surrounding medium.
and cleansing ability of water.
Digital printing The printing process where
Dew point (1) The temperature at which air an image is applied to the substrate directly
or other gasses become saturated with vapour, from a digital file rather than using plates
causing the vapour to deposit as a liquid. (2) or film.
The temperature at which 100% relative humid-
ity is reached. Digitising The process of converting graphic
representations (images, line drawings, etc)
Dextrin A carbohydrate derived from starch, into digital data that can be processed by a
usually by treatment with heat, acids or enzyme computer system.
action.
Dilatant Having the property of an increase in
Dial indicator A watch-like instrument used to viscosity with increase in shear. Dilation liquids
measure concentricity, run-out, deflection and are solid or highly viscous when stirred and
the relative position of mechanical components. fluid when undisturbed. The condition can occur
in flexo inks but is normally considered highly
Diaphragm pump A type of pump used for undesirable and one to be avoided through
ink circulation. formulation.
Dichroic Exhibiting significantly different reflec- Dilutents Liquids with no solvent action, used
tion or transmission in two different wavelength to dilute or thin an ink or lacquer.
ranges. Dichroic reflectors which have reduced Dimensional stability Indicates a material’s
reflection to long wavelengths (IR) are also resistance to dimensional change caused by
called ‘cold mirrors’. ambient, atmospheric or other conditions.
Die adapter A device used to modify a die DIN cup An efflux cup used to measure
station of one type of press so that it will accom- viscosity.
modgte dies originally designed to be used on
different presses. DIN German Industrial Standards (Deutsche
Industrie Normen).
Die-cut (1) To punch out with a sharp tool. (2)
A cleft, gash, slit or notch left from a punching Direct digital colour proof (DDCP) A pre-
out operation. press colour proof that is imaged directly from
digital data without the intermediate steps of
Die cuttability Suitability of a substrate for film and contact exposure.

Direct imaging – Doctor blade holder
Direct imaging The process of directly sates for normal flexo image shrinkage with
imaging the plates on the press. rubber plates and image stretch when any
type of flexo plates are made flat and mounted
Direct to plate (DtP) A system designed to im- around a cylinder for printing.
age printing plates directly from computer data,
eliminating the need for film production and the Distortion plate Plate made from
use of contact plates. distorted copy.
Dirty print A print defect characterised by Dithering A technique used by some input and
the bridging of dots and dirty edges on a solid output devices to simulate greys by varying the
print. It can often be caused by dry ink ac- pattern and proximity of black pixels to each
cumulating on the printing plates or by applying other.
a very thick ink film to the printing plate or by
pushing too much impression. Dividing head Device put on a plate cylinder
to mount jobs requiring multiple repeats around
Discharge Any spilling, leaking, pumping, the cylinder.
pouring, emitting, emptying or dumping of
liquid wastes into a sewer, storm drain or body DLE Direct laser engraving. Plate imaging using
of water. a laser to selectively ablate or evaporate a
variety of rubber plate and sleeve materials to
Dispensing system An ink mixing system usu- produce a print ready surface without the use of
ally linked to a computer which normally con- photography or chemicals.
tains the ink formulation, stock of ink, overview
of rest inks and other ink related information. D-max The highest measured density on a
Usually a photo-spectrometer is also involved sample. This is not to be confused with the maxi-
enabling the measurement of mixing results and mum density achievable by the substrate.
the rest inks for a second use.
D-min The lowest measured density on the
Disperse dye A textile dyestuff which is techni- clear/non-image area of a sample. This is not
cally defined as a water insoluble dye. to be confused with the minimum density
achievable by the material.
Dispersion A uniform distribution of solid
particles in a vehicle by mixing or milling. Doctor blade A thin blade, clamped in
a holder, with the purpose of scraping the
Display type See Headline type. excess ink, coating, lacquering, glue, etc, from
the anilox roller or any other roller with that
Disposal facility A landfill, incinerator or particular purpose. Can be made from various
other facility that receives waste for disposal. materials such as steel, nylon or any other
suitable material. The blades can be of various
Distillation The act of purifying liquids through thicknesses from 0.015 mm up to 0.6 mm and
boiling, whereby steam condenses into a pure more in special cases. The tip of the blade can
liquid and the pollutants remain concentrated in be shaped, angled, round, with a bevel or any
the residue. other special shape.
Distort To intentionally change width and/or Doctor blade holder and doctor blade
height dimensions in order to compensate for angle The holder where the blades are
shrinkage, stretch, etc, of the printing plates. mounted to fix them in the desired position. The
angle from the blade to the centre line of the
Distortion copy A copy which is intentionally anilox roller depends on the purpose and other
distorted in preparation. factors, 30° to 35° with the axe of the anilox
roller is usually the most effective angle. The
Distortion factor A multiplier, which compen- blades can be directly mounted or (as the strip

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Doctor blade lamella – Downtime
blades) mounted in a special holder, which is as apparent dot area. (2) The area that will be
mounted in the holder itself. printed as the final dot on the substrate.
Doctor blade lamella Thinner made doctor Dot gain A physical and/or optical measure-
blade section, which runs against the anilox ment and theoretical calculation of the apparent
roller. In this case the blade is thicker to make it increase in dot area from one medium to
more stable and prevent it from bending. another. Normally expressed as the difference
between a mid-tone (nominal 50%) dot area on
Doctor blade – long life Specially shaped a film negative and the printed dot area. For
doctor blade with no lamella and round shapes, example, a 50% film dot area, which prints as
which can be specially treated or coated to a 78% dot has a 28% dot gain. Dot gain (and
make the blade lifetime longer. loss) are normal and must be controlled through-
out the pre-press and printing process.
Doctor roller The fountain roller in a flexo-
graphic press which wipes against the anilox Dot gain curve The graphic illustration of dot
roller to remove excess ink. gain throughout the entire highlight (nominate)
to extreme shadow (solid image) tone scale.
Doughnut A print fault in which the impression
pressure is so great that the ink of the printed Dot growth See Dot gain.
dot is squeezed out from the centre to the edges
producing a ring like print. The ink density is Dot percentage See Dot area.
lighter in the doughnut’s centre.
Dots per inch (dpi) A measure of the resolu-
Doped lamps Term applied to UV lamps tion of a screen image or printed plate. Dots
having metal halide additives to the mercury to are also known as pixels. Screen displays are
alter the emission spectrum of the lamp. Histori- 72 dpi; laser printers 200/300 dpi and image
cally this term has been used by UV arc lamp setters, up to 2540 dpi.
manufacturers. It is a slightly imprecise usage as
the added chemical does not alter the proper- Double bump The application of two layers of
ties of another. The preferred term is additive ink to achieve greater opacity or more intense
lamps. colour.
Dose A common but loosely used term for Double face The outside or printing face of
energy density or radiant flux density, at a sur- combined corrugated board.
face. (It is a precisely defined term in EB curing:
1 Grey (Gy) = 1 J/kg, a measure of absorbed Double inking A specific corrugated print
energy per unit mass). In other technology, the fault where too much ink is printed because a
term usually applies to energy absorbed within sheet was not properly fed, causing the next
the medium but in UV curing, is equated only to sheet to receive all of the ink from the plate.
irradiate energy density arriving at the surface
of the medium of interest. (The preferred short- Double sided Refers to tapes for use on both
ened term is energy density expressed in sides, used for manual and video mounting of
J/cm² or mJ/cm²). printing formes.
Dot The individual printing element of a Double tone ink A printing ink that produces
halftone. a two-colour printing affect with a single impres-
sion. These inks contain a soluble toner that
Dot area (1) The area of a printed halftone, bleeds out to produce a secondary colour.
expressed as a percentage value, computed
from the reflection densities of the printed ele- Downtime Non-productive time when a print-
ment and its area of solid, continuous coverage ing machine is not running for any number of
using Murray-Davies equation, also referred to reasons, such a cleaning, maintenance

Dragging – Dyne
or makeready. text and artwork on preparation and production
of a printed piece.
Dragging The removal and re-depositing of
wet ink from the web by a stationary object in Duotones Two colour halftones.
contact with the web. See also Scratches.
Duplex Printing on both sides of the substrate.
Drawdown A swatch of colour or coating
made by spreading a small amount of coating Durometer A measure of hardness, by using
across a sheet of stock. The purpose is for visual a durometer gauge, either Shore A (for soft
analysis or testing to check the formulated ink rubber) or Shore D (for harder, either resilient
colour or coating before going on press. materials).
Drift (1) The continued deformation of rubber Dwell The time interval during which elements
under strain. (2) The change in a given durom- remain in contact or in a static position - pause.
eter reading after a specified period of time.
(3) A gradual out of register movement. Dyes The colouring material which is soluble in
an ink vehicle. See also pigment.
Drop on demand Ink placement as used in
inkjet printing. Dynamic balance The state when rotating
masses are in equilibrium.
Dropout A halftone in which the extreme
highlights have been eliminated (dropped out) Dynamic closed chamber doctor blade
to produce more contrast, as in a spectrum systems These are systems, which are able to
highlight. effect an imploding (jet) effect with the use of a
‘nose’, which forces the ink into the cells of the
Dropped dots The condition of missing print, anilox roller, whilst pressing out the excessive
related to missing dots. See also Skip out. ink from the previous filling and possibly the
clogged ink. This system is also very good
DRPM See Deep relief powder moulding. for working with water based ink to prevent
micro foaming, it was invented by Mr Cees
Drum scanner See Scanner. Gorter and modernised and perfected by other
companies.
Dry colour A pigment in dry or powder form.
Dynamic exposure Exposure to a varying
Dry ink film The thickness or weight per unit irradiance such as when a lamp passes over
area of dry ink or coating on a substrate. a surface or a surface passes under a lamp or
lamps. In that case, energy denisty is the time
Dryer The auxiliary unit of a flexographic print- integral of the irradiance profile.
ing press through which the printed web travels
and is dried prior to rewinding. Drying units are Dynamic range The span between the mini-
also placed (as required) between mum irradiance and the maximum irradiance
colour stations. to which a radiometer will accurately respond.
Expressed as a ratio or measured units, eg
Dryers Substances, generally metallic com- W/cm². The density difference between high-
pound, added to ink to increase the rate of lights and shadows of an image, also known as
drying by catalytic action. tonal, density or copy range.
Duct A pipe for the conveyance of liquid inks Dyne The unit of force in the centimetre-gram-
and other liquids. second system equal to the force that would
give a free mass of one gram an acceleration of
Dummy A preliminary mock-up showing the one centimetre per second. In printing a unit of
colour, size, shape, general form, positioning of measure concerning surface tension.

EB – Electro-photography
and pollutants.
E
Efflux cup A cup of specific volume with an
EB See Electron beam. orifice in the bottom of specific size, used for
comparing the viscosity of fluids. The length of
Eccentricity An off-centre or out-of-round condi- time the volume of fluid runs out of the orifice is
tion such as a roller or cylinder which does not a measure of viscosity. Specific efflux cups are
rotate in a true concentric circle in relation to its DIN cup, Shell cup or Zahn cup.
axis. See also Concentricity.
Eggshell finish A paper finish similar to an
Edge guide A device that detects and controls eggshell in texture and colour (light cream or
the position of the substrate’s edge as it passes off-white colour).
through the press, maintaining the side-to-side
registers. There are many different types such Elastic elongation The ability of a material
as fixed and moving sensor centre guides, line to stretch without breaking. To describe this
or pattern guides and others. Each machine property as measured, it is more accurate to
usually has its own specifications. speak of ultimate elongation or elongation at
break, since its value, expressed as a percent-
Editing The process of reviewing original copy age of original length is taken at the moment of
and making necessary changes or corrections rupture.
before going to press.
Elastic modulus See Modulus of elasticity.
Effective energy density Radiant energy
within a specified wavelength range arriving at Elasticity The property of a substance which
a surface per unit area. It is expressed in watts enables it to return to its original size or shape
or milliwatts per square centimetre or milljoules after being stretched or deformed.
per square centimetre (J/cm² or mJ/cm²). Is
expressed in a specified wavelength range Elastomer Any rubber-like substance, plastic
(without wavelength specification it is essentially type or polymer.
meaningless). Commonly accepted abbrevia-
tions are W or E. Electrolytic silver recovery A method of
recovering silver by applying a direct current
Effective irradiance Radiant power within across two electrodes immersed in a silver-rich
a specified wavelength range arriving at a solution. Silver plates onto the cathode and the
surface per unit area. It is expressed in Watts thio-sulphate is oxidised at the anode.
or milliWatts per square centimetre (W/cm²
or mW/cm²) in a specified wavelength range Electron beam (EB) curing Converting a
(without wavelength specification it is essentially wet coating or printing ink film to a solid film
meaningless). For brevity, when the wave- by using an electron beam. Electrons are small,
length range is clearly understood, the term is negatively charged particles that penetrate the
shortened to irradiance. Commonly accepted material, thus using EB for curing pigments is
abbreviations are E or I. Compare spectral more efficient.
irradiance.
Electronic engraving This is done with an in-
Efflorescence A specific form of spontane- dustrial diamond or high quality hardened steel
ous desiccation (drying up). The property of a chisel both operated by computer software. The
crystalline substance to become dehydrated or system is mostly used for gravure printing but
anhydrous when exposed to air and to crumble sometimes for engraving anilox rollers.
to a powder, the opposite of deliquescence.
Electro-photography See Xerography.
Effluent guidelines Technical documents that
set effluent limitations for given industries

Elmendorf test – ERP
Elmendorf test A test to determine a paper’s Engraved roller A roller having a mechani-
tear resistance. cally or laser engraved surface. See also Anilox
roller, Design roller.
Elementary neutraliseation unit A tank,
tank system, container, transport vehicle or Engraving A general term normally applied
vessel (including ships) designed to contain and to any pattern that has been cut in or incised
neutralise corrosive waste. into a surface by hand, mechanical, laser or
chemical etching processes. In anilox rollers, the
Elongation Longitudinal deformation, resulting special orientation of cells in subsequent rows
from an applied stress, ie stretching. of engraving as referenced from the horizontal
axis of the roller, expressed in degrees.
Embossing A finish or design imparted by
means of compressing a material between Enterprise resource planning Activities
matched rigid surfaces or a rigid and a ductile meant to help manage a business. See also
surface having the desired raised or depressed Management information systems.
surface pattern. The process usually occurs
between rollers, although it may be done in Environmental accounting An approach
the flat. to the financial analysis of business decisions
which recognises that many environmental costs
Emulsifying agent A material that is added are often overlooked.
to hold two or more immiscible materials in
suspension, forming an emulsion. Environmental audit An independent as-
sessment of a facility’s compliance policies,
Emulsion A type of mixture wherein two or practices and controls.
more immiscible (or unmixable) materials are
held together in a homogenous mixture by the Environmental indicator A measurement,
action of a third, the emulsifying agent. Differs statistic or value that provides an approximate
from a solution in which one material is dis- gauge or evidence of the effects of environmen-
solved in another. tal management programs or of the state or
condition of the environment.
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) A file format
that carries both a description of an image in Environmental Management System
the PostScript page description language and (EMS) Management approach, through policy
an optional bitmap equivalent for and procedure, that serves to reduce exposures
screen display. to liability manage environmental affairs with
the elimination of duplicative efforts, improve
End product The final package or printed employee and community relations, partner with
piece, after all blanking, folding, gluing or heat regulatory staff and offers the very real possibil-
sealing is done, ready for customer use. ity of bottom-line savings.
Energy density Radiant energy arriving at a EPA By the action of an acid, as in the engrav-
surface per unit area usually expressed in joules ings used to mould the matrix.
or milli joules per square centimetre (J/cm² or
mJ/cm²). It is the time integral or irradiance. EPDM This is an artificial ‘rubber’ compound
(Terms applied in other technology include ‘radi- used for special purposes in flexography such
ant exposure’, ‘light dose’ and ‘total effective as coverage of rollers, etc.
dosage’). See fluence, dose.
Epoxy resins Plastic or resinous material
English finish A paper finish that fans be- used for strong fast setting adhesives, as heat
tween machine and super calendered finish by resistant coatings and binders, etc.
degree of smoothness.
ERP See Enterprise resource planning.

Erukamide – Eye marker
Erukamide Chemical used in the extrusion of exposure is mostly determined with a test and
several plastic films such as polyethylene for depends on the intensity of the exposure lamps
improving the technical specifications. (UV-A) and the duration of the exposure.
Ester A group of solvents made by reacting an Exposure, reverse side Exposure from the
acid with an alcohol, eg ethyl acetate, isopropyl reverse side of a photopolymer plate, to poly-
acetate. merise the ‘floor’ of a photopolymer plate. The
right exposure is mostly determined with a test
Ethyl cellulose A cellulose ether, soluble in and dependent on the intensity of the exposure
most organic and hydrocarbon solvents, avail- lamps (UV-A) and the duration of the exposure.
able as a transparent, flexible packaging film.
Also used as an ingredient in inks, coatings Extended gamut printing Simulating spot
and adhesives. colours using only CMYK (plus orange, green
and violet) to reduce costs and press downtime.
Evaporation The changing from the liquid Advances in colour control software, anilox roll-
to the gaseous or vapour stage, as when the ers, plates and inks has enabled some systems
solvent leaves the printed ink film. to print up to 90% of the colour gamut with
seven colours.
Evaporative rate The comparison of evapora-
tion of a certain solvent with esther, for instance Extender Any material added to an ink to
the evaporation rate of ethoxypropanol is 33, reduce its colour strength and/or viscosity.
esther is 1, therefore esther evaporates much
faster. Extensible Stretchable packaging materials,
such as polyethylene, which elongate during
Excimer This system takes advantage of processing.
specific physical effects. In an electrical field,
molecules are produced briefly from an inert Extruder Equipment for making a plastic emul-
gas and a halogen that decay again very sion, containing a heater and a strong screw
quickly and release UV radiation of a specific for putting on the pressure. As raw material,
wavelength which depends on the endowment different types of grains are used, to give the
of the radiation source. final film certain specifications. The liquid mass
is presented to either the balloon blower or the
Expender roller Flexographic printing ap- cast film producer installation.
plication rollers, made from steel, aluminium
or carbon fibre reinforced cores, which can be Extrusion Continuous sheet or film (or other
used for web tension and or position correc- shapes not connected with flexography) pro-
tions, to make an equally tensioned web on the duced by forcing thermoplastic material through
right register position. a die or orifice. The material can be blown or
made by a cast installation (slit with a chilled
Expose To subject (a sensitive film, plate, etc) roll).
to light or a laser.
Extrusion coating This process uses an ex-
Exposure The state of being open and vulner- truder to apply plastic coating (ie polyethylene)
able to a hazardous chemical by inhalation, at elevated temperatures to a moving web
ingestion, skin contact, absorption or any other of paper.
course; includes potential (accidental or pos-
sible) exposure. Exudation When solid material migrates to the
film’s surface. See also Bloom.
Exposure, main Exposure of the front side
with the film, to make the non-blinded areas pol- Eye marker or eye spot A small, rectangu-
ymerised and the blinded areas can be washed lar printed area usually located near the edge
away with either water or a solvent. The right of a web or design, to activate an automatic

F (F°) – Film
electronic position regulator for controlling Ferrous metals Metals containing a large
register of the printed design with subsequent proportion of iron.
equipment or operation.
Festoon As in reelstand, the web is held in
F loops whilst the new web is spliced.
F (F°) Degrees Fahrenheit; F° (9/5 x C°) + Fibre materials – substrates Mostly refer-
32°C. ring to paper and board-like substrates.
Face printing Printing on the outer surface of Fibreboard – solid A heavy, solid board,
a transparent film, contrary to printing on the usually three or four ply, comprised of two
back (reverse) of the film. liners and a chipboard filler, used in shipping
containers.
Face stock In label printing, it is the part of
the substrate which is printed opposed to the Fibreboard (1) Fibre sheets produced or lami-
disposable release liner that carries the face nated to a certain thickness, providing stiffness.
stock through the press. Fibreboard used for container production may
be corrugated board or solid board of 0.060”
Fade See Vignette. 0.080”, 0.100” 0.0120” or 0.140”. (2) A
generic name applied to many products made
Fadeometer An instrument that measures light of fibreboard.
fastness or resistance to fading.
File server A computer on network with spe-
Fading The change in hue from exposure to cial software so that all the network users can
light, heat or other influences. access the applications and documents stored
on it.
False body See Thixotropic.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Allows files to
Fast solvent A solvent that has a low boiling be sent from one computer to another via the
point allowing rapid evaporation, ie a fast- Internet.
drying solvent.
Filler A substance, generally white mineral
Fastness A term denoting the stability or resist- matter such as china clay or calcium carbonate
ance of stock or colorants to influences such as added to the paper furnish to increase opacity,
light, alkali, etc. improve flatness and allow a smoother finish, to
increase bulk, strength and/or lower cost.
Feathering Irregular edges around a print,
often undesirable. Fill-in Generally used to refer to the open por-
tions of small type and halftones filled by ink.
Feathering on trailing edges Marks made Film Unsupported, basically organic, non-
on the image’s trailing edges, generally caused fibrous, thin, flexible material, 0.010” thick
by excessive ink build-up. (maximum), is usually called sheeting. A variety
of special designation, such as film with gusset,
Feeder Part of a sheet corrugated post-printing J film, U film, W film, etc. refers to film wound
machine, which has to present the sheets to with a single or double fold or gusset on one
the transport system. There are several types of or both sides; the designations describing the
feeders such as kicker, load edge, belt, recipro- shape of a cross-section.
cating belt, roller types and cam roller feeders.
Film – cast Generally refers to films made by
Feet per minute (fpm) A measurement of coating or casting a solution of a film former
surface speed. on an endless belt, drying the solvents, strip-
ping the film from the belt and winding it up.

Film – Flameproof
Polyethylene cast film refers to the film made by a better printing surface, finer than a
extruding the molten polyethylene. calender finish.
Film – tubular Generally used to mean poly- Finish – water A very high finish produced
ethylene tubular film produced by extruding the by passing paper and paperboard through the
molten polyethylene through a round die, cool- calender stack and applying water on one or
ing the plastic and flattening the tube so formed both sides.
by means of nip rolls and winding it up.
First down colour In multi-colour printing, it
Film for photopolymer platemaking All is the initial colour printed on the substrate and
films for soft photopolymer plates need to have overprinted by other colours.
a matt emulsion coating (minimum thickness
0.004” up to 0.007”) in order to avoid trapped FIRST Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifi-
air between the film and the printing plate dur- cations & Tolerances (USA). A set of specifica-
ing the image setting operation. tions and communication protocols for the
industry developed by the FIRST Committee and
Film former A type of resin with qualities for the FTA Consumer Advisory Council. This plat-
forming a tough continuous film, usually refers form should establish common communication
to such plastics as nitrocellulose, vinyl, etc. and identify the responsibility of the provider(s).
These are not standards but when adhered to,
Film gauge (1) A number indicative of the are meant to produce a predictable, consistent
thickness of films. (2) A micrometer for measur- result.
ing film thickness.
Fish eyes A print defect. A pinhole in the ink
Film treatment The surface oxidation of film film, which looks like an eye. It is often the result
to increase ink adhesion. of dirt on the surface of the printing plate or the
result of too much defoamer added to the ink
Fineness of grind The degree of grinding or causing de-wetting.
dispersion of a pigment in a printing ink or ve-
hicle, the extent to which particle size has been Fixed palette printing See Extended gamut
reduced to the finest granular structure. printing.
Fingerprint See Press characterisation. Fixer The chemical used to stop the developed
photographic image from developing further.
Finish The degree of a surface’s gloss or
flatness Flag A small piece of paper or board inserted
in a roll of stock being run so that it extends
Finish – calender A finish obtained by pass- beyond the edge, to indicate the location of a
ing a material through the calender stack. splice, imperfection, etc or to designate some
change from the standard of quality, speed,
Finish – dry A paper or paperboard finish condition. It serves as a warning to the operator
that has not been dampened or steamed before in the converting process.
going through a calender stack.
Flame resistant The capability to burn when
Finish – matt A dull, flat finish. a flame is applied but not to continue burning
when the flame is removed.
Finish – satin A type of dull finish, somewhat
finer than matt. Flame retardant A chemical used in treating
a material so that it will not support combustion.
Finish – super calendered A smooth, high
gloss finish applied to paper by running it Flameproof Not readily ignited and does
through a calender stack. This finish provides not propagate flame under test conditions.

Flame treatment – Fluence rate
Flameproof materials are usually combustible to print wallpaper. The name that was chosen
materials treated or coated to modify the burn- in 1952 and is derived from the earlier name
ing properties. aniline printing, relating to the early types of
inks used.
Flame treatment An old fashioned method
for the treating of printing on plastics or heavy Flexography, three roller system The
coated papers. The idea is to make the fibres system when an ink roller is used with an anilox
on the surface less smooth and rougher so that roller and a printing cylinder, this system is
the ink has a more positive adherence. mainly used today for rough paper and board
printing. This method uses complete ink trays
Flammable Describes any material that can and systems.
be ignited easily and that will burn rapidly.
Flexography, two roller system This system
Flash point The lowest temperature at which is mainly used for high quality printing and it
evaporation of a substance produces enough contains an anilox roller normally with a closed
vapour to form an ignitable mixture with air. chamber doctor blade system and a printing
cylinder. With these systems, the ink is usually
Flat (1) Lacking in contrast and definition of injected in the doctor blade system.
tone, opposite of glossy – dull, matt. (2) A full
size sheet of engraving metal. Flocculation Pigment particles collecting
together in the ink to form clusters or chains that
Flat seal A heat seal characterised by being can cause loss of colour strength and a change
flat compared with a crimp seal. of hue.
Flat-bed scanner See Scanner. Flooding The growth of a print area from the
master copy on the printed sheet, caused by
Flatting agent A chemical usually used in inks excessive ink.
and coatings to give a better flow.
Flex Another term for roll or cylinder deflection Flow (1) The property of ink causing it to level
in press, also describes the bending qualities or out as would a true liquid. Inks of poor flow are
characteristics of any material including printing classified short in body, while inks of good flow
substrates. are said to be long. (2) The rheological proper-
ties of an ink.
Flexible glue Animal glue plasticised to ena-
ble permanent flexible films to be formed. Com- Flow chart A graphical diagram used to show
monly used to denote any flexible adhesive. the key steps in a process. Special symbols are
used to show inputs, outputs, decisions and
Flexing strength The ability of a sheet or process steps.
film to withstand breakage by folding. Flexing
strength may be measured and tested by deter- Flow cups A measuring instrument for viscosity
mining the number of folds required to cause of inks and other liquids.
failure.
Fluence The time integral of fluence rate (J/cm²
Flexographic printing See Flexography. or J/cm²). For a parallel and perpendicularly in-
cident beam, not scattered or reflected, energy
Flexography A relief printing process in density and fluence become identical.
which the printing plate is made from rub-
ber or photopolymers, and the print motive is Fluence rate The radiant power of all wave-
transferred to the substrate using inks, which dry lengths passing from all directors through an
by means of the evaporation of solvents/water infinitesimally small sphere of cross sectional
or by UV curing. The system was first described are dA, divided by dA. For a parallel and
in the second part of the 19th century and used perpendicularly incident beam not scattered or

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FlexoTech The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Pakcaging Printing • 148 x 105mm
Antonine Printing Inks have been established as one of the

WHEN YOU THINK INK
THINK ANTONINE
United Kingdom's leading independent ink manufacturers
since 1976. Supplying the industry with quality flexographic
and gravure printing ink not only in the United Kingdom,

Antonine provide a complete range of both Water and Solvent
but also in Europe and many other parts of the globe. based inks for all Flexographic and Gravure applications
QUALITY + SERVICE = RESULTS
Newhouse Industrial Estate, Motherwell, Scotland ML1 5RX

Tel: 01698 735 700 • Fax: 01698 832 861
www.antonine-inks.co.uk Email: info@antonine-inks.co.uk
Fluidity – Folding equipment
reflected, irradiance and fluence rate become the machine.
identical (W/cm² or mW/cm²).
FM screening See Stochastic screening.
Fluidity The ease with which an ink flows, the
opposite of viscosity, the greater the viscosity Focal depth This is a type of optical made
the less the fluidity. three dimensional depth, where the image is
made with lenses with a different focus from the
Fluorescent paper and board A white base same image.
paper or board coated with a mixture of fluores-
cent pigment and binder, the latter being used Foaming This is a problem with most water-
to key the former to the surface. The coating is based inks where air penetrates the ink flow.
activated by ultraviolet light, either by exposure
to a UV lamp or to natural daylight. Focal tone Distance from the optical centre
of a colour to the principle focus of a lens or
Fluorescent pigments Pigments as color- spherical mirror. Used in various measuring
ants, which seem to light up fluorescence under instruments for identification of colours and
special condition(s). This is caused by the im- densities.
pact of light that contains sufficient short wave
radiation, the invisible radiation is converted FOGRA Scientific technical institute for the ink
into visible light through the dye, which under industry based in München, Germany.
normal circumstances is absorbed.
Foil An unsupported, thin metal membrane,
Fluorocarbon Organic compounds in which less than 0.006” thick, above 0.006” thick, it is
fluorine atoms are bonded to carbon atoms. called a sheet.
Flush To trim both covers and sections at the Foil stamping/foil blocking The process by
same time in binding. which extremely fine leaves of foil are im-
pressed onto a substrate, usually for decorative
Fluting Structure of a corrugated board (1) Flut- purposes, such as logos or company names.
ing A, coarse fluting, 8.0–9.5, height 4.0–4.8
(2) Fluting C, medium fluting, 6.8–7.9, height Folder A unit that creases and scores the sub-
3.2–3.9 (3) Fluting B, fine fluting, 5.5–6.5, strate to pre-set specifications. See also Buckle
height 2.2 (4) Fluting E, micro flute, 3.0–3.5, folder, Combination folder, Knife folder.
height 1.0–1.8.
Folder/gluer An optional piece of equipment
Flux (radiant flux) The flow of photons in for a post-print corrugated sheet printing ma-
einstein/second; one einstein = one mole of chine, which is able to make a joint by gluing,
photons. stitching, taping, folding, counting and stacking
the containers.
Flying Ink thrown off the press by the inking
rollers, causing splashing. Folding boxboard These can vary in quality
from grey board to high class board made from
Flying order change When using a computer virgin fibre, the term is usually taken to mean
controlled printing system with individually white lined boards which are made on multi-
driven printing units, it is possible to change layer machines, the outer layers may be of a
orders on the fly, under the conditions, that different furnish to the centre layer.
the change of the printing formes can be done
with an automatic or robotic system to prevent Folding equipment (1) Drive units for folding
dangerous situations for the operators. equipment, located directly at the discharge
end of the machine (reel winding module) for
Flying splice A device for carrying out a driving a linked concertina folding unit for inline
splice in a web of material without stopping production of labels. (2) Any auxiliary tool that

Font – Gauge
is able to make folds in the inline converting Fugitive Refers to a dye or pigment having
operations. very poor permanence, which is likely to dete-
riorate, change or fade.
Font A complete set of characters in one de-
sign, may be restricted to a particular size and Fugitive emissions Air pollutants released
style or may comprise multiple sizes or multiple into the air other than those from stacks or vents;
sizes and styles of a typeface design. typically released from open containers and ink
fountains, as well as small releases from leaks in
Ford cup Instrument for measuring the viscosity plant equipment.
of ink and other liquids.
Full scale black Printing with black in all
For position only An image that will be re- tonal areas of the reproduction from highlight
placed in production, usually on the film image to shadow. See also Grey component replace-
setter, with the high-resolution image. ment.
Formation An arrangement of the fibres in a Functional barrier Material which stops

sheet of paper, irregular arrangement is wild, migration of ink components into foodstuffs.
whilst uniform formation is close.
Furnish The mixture of various ingredients
Forme roller The obsolete reference to an ink- blended in the stock or raw material from which
ing roller. See also Transfer roller, Anilox roller. paper and board is made. The chief constituents
are wood or other pulps, sizing material, fillers,
Fountain A pan, trough or other ink supply dyes and other additives.
system on a flexographic press in which the
fountain roll revolves; sometimes loosely applied Fusible Capable of being melted or liquefied
to the entire printing station. by action of heat.
Four colour process Printing with CMYK Fuzz Fibrous projections on the surface of a
(yellow, magenta, cyan and black) inks by using sheet of paper. Lint appears in much the same
screens to reproduce full colour. See Process manner but is not attached to the surface.
black, Process cyan, Process magenta, Process
yellow. G
Fourdrinier wire The wire belt on which a Gamma (correction curves) Curves from
web of paper is initially formed from the liquid very short electromagnetic waves produced by
fibre pulp (furnish) on the paper machine. UV lamps.
FPM See Feet per minute. Gamut The range of colours available to a
device. An input device, such as a scanner
FPO See For position only. interprets colours using RGB; while an output
device, such as a press, interprets colours with
Free radicals These are formed during the process inks.
deformation of the photoinitiators under UV light
during the curing of a radical UV curing ink, Gas chromatography An analytical, instru-
they are responsible for the polymerisation of mental method of accurately determining the
the ink. composition of volatile solvents and oils and
of determining their residual presence in inert
Frequency modulated screening See materials such as paper, board or film.
Stochastic screening.
Gauge The thickness of flexible packaging film;
FTP See File transfer protocol. 100 gauge equals 1 mil (0.001”).

GCR – Gravure
GCR See Grey component replacement. quality standards.
Gear chart A handy reference, it is a compila- Goldenrod A specially coated, yellow or

tion of the various printing lengths or repeats orange, masking paper used by strippers to
obtainable within the different gearing systems. assemble and position negatives for exposure
on plates.
Gear marks A defect in flexographic printing
appearing as uniformly spaced, lateral vari- GPD Gallons per day.
ations in tone corresponding exactly with the
distance between the gear teeth. gsm Grams per square metre. See Grammage.
General permit A single permitting document Grade Paper classification based primarily
that can cover a category or class of many upon end-use and brightness.
similar sources.
Gradient A gradual transition or blending,
Generic Pertaining to or applicable to all mem- linear or radial, from light to dark or from one
bers of a genus or class. colour to another.
Generic designs Artwork not protected by Graduated screen A screen is a series of ink
trademark registration. dots printed onto a substrate which gives the
appearance of a solid colour. The depth of the
Geometric screening Regular symmetrical screen colour can be deepened by increas-
screening of a separated colour by means of a ing the dot frequency (dpi) or the converse. A
computer in pre-press. graduated screen is one where the dpi is varied
across the screen so that there is a fading/deep-
Ghosting The presence of a faint image of a ening affect across the printing.
design in areas that are not intended to have
that portion of the image usually a repeat pat- Grain The arrangement or direction of fibres
tern in the press machine direction. in a fibrous material, such as paper or wood or
the direction of molecular orientation in a non-
GIF See Graphic Interchange Format. fibrous material.
Glassine A type of translucent, flexible paper Grammage A term in the metric system for
that is highly dense and resistant to the pas- expressing the basis weight of paper as the
sage of oil, grease and air, common uses are weight (in grams) of a square metre of the
for envelopes, wrappers, liners for cereal and paper (gsm).
biscuit boxes.
Graphic arts The technology and practice of
Gloss A surface’s ability to reflect light. converting ideas and originals (ie photographs,
drawings, computer generated images and
Glycol ethers Solvents. See Ethers, etc. designs) into visual form. Not restricted to but
often associated with printing in various forms.
Gloss finish A finish of paper or paperboard
that is smooth and reflective or lustrous in ap- Graphic lnterchange Format (GIF) A
pearance. widely used bitmap image format that origi-
nated on the CompuServe network.
Gloss meter An instrument used to measure
gloss. Gravure A printing process (intaglio) in which
the image area is etched below the surface of
GMP Good Manufacturing Practice. A system the printing plate. The ink is carried below the
for ensuring that products are consistently pro- printing surface in small wells or lines etched
duced and controlled according to or scribed into a metal plate. The surface of the

Gravure printing process – Halftone tint
plate is wiped clean so non-image areas carry Gripper allowance The margin of substrate
no ink and the image is transferred directly to along the edge of the sheet which is held by the
the paper by means of pressure. grippers and therefore cannot be printed.
Gravure printing process The gravure Grips An expression for clutches in machinery
printing process is characterised by printing and the like.
cylinders in which the printing elements are
recessed in relation to non-printing elements. Guard bars The start and stop pattern in
Security printing, rotogravure, indirect rotogra- barcodes, particularly UPC-A, EAN-13 and
vure printing and tampon printing are gravure EAN-8 versions of the EAN/UPC symbol
printing processes. family. Formed by twin narrow elements at the
beginning, centre and end of the symbol, they
Gravure scope A type of microscope divide the symbol into left and right decodable
designed for inspecting and measuring the segments that are then combined by the scanner
engraved cells on an anilox roll or a gravure into a single symbol.
cylinder. It measures both vertically for depth
and horizontally for width. Guillotine A cutting machine in which the cut
is made by a long knife that descends vertically
Greaseproof paper A paper resistant to on the material to be cut.
grease.
Gum (1) A water soluble, amorphous substance
Grey balance The proper combination of exuded by or prepared from plants, which is
cyan, magenta and yellow ink dot area, hue/ sticky when moist but hardens upon exposure to
density, trap, transparency and register on a air. (2) Any material having the above proper-
specific substrate under normal printing condi- ties, natural or synthetic, regardless of source.
tions which reproduce as a neutral grey. Loosely used in reference to unvulcanised
rubber.
Grey board A board made entirely from
waste paper, it can be lined or unlined and is Gusset The bellows fold or tuck on the side or
used for a variety of packaging purposes. bottom of a bag. The bag’s capacity is meas-
ured with the gusset unfolded.
Grey component replacement (GCR) (1)
The replacement of an unwanted colour (ie cyan H
in reds, magenta in greens, yellow in blues) in
whole or in part by black. (2) The system to re- Halftone A pictorial which has been converted
duce overprinted halftone dot sizes of C, M or Y from a continuous tone original image, such
when it acts as a greying component by increas- as a photograph, into dots of appropriate size
ing the appropriate black halftone dot sizes to which, when printed, give the visual illusion
achieve a colour parity with less process ink closely resembling the original over a gradation
and improved printing conditions. range from highlight to shadow.
Grey scale A tonal scale, printed in steps of Halftone dot The small image element in a
no colour through to black, used for quality con- halftone placed in a regular pattern with set
trol in both black and white and photographic spacing, angle and shape. In general flexogra-
processing. phy uses a round-shaped dot.
Greyness See Hue error. Halftone screen (1) The specific pattern of
halftone dots. (2) Originally, the engraved glass
Gripper A device on a printing machine for through which continuous-tone copy is photo-
holding the sheet during the printing or finishing graphed to produce a halftone.
process.
Halftone tint An area of approximately equal

Halo – HD flexo
sized halftone dots producing a uniform Heat resistance The ability to withstand the
optical density. effects of high temperature exposure. Care must
be exercised in defining degree.
Halo An undesirable peripheral outline of the
printed image. Heat seal A method of uniting two or more
surfaces by fusion, either of the coatings or of
Hard dot Expression for a dot from a printing the base materials, under controlled conditions
forme for process printing which has a hardness of temperature, pressure and time (dwell).
of more than 55 Shore A, although there is no
specific border line for soft, middle and hard. Heat sealing paper Any paper coated with
In general this type of dot is usually found in heat sealable materials.
printing formes for high quality flexo printing
with thin plates. Heat seal lacquer A lacquer applied to a
stock and then dried, is capable of softening
Hardness A physical condition of a printing under heat, causing the stock to be sealed to
forme but is also applied to a rubber roll. In itself or another surface.
flexography the scale Shore A is used, 25 for
soft, 60 is hard. Heat transfer The process of image transfer to
substrate by application of heat.
Hardwood pulp Obtained from hardwood
trees by various processes. Generally the fibres Heavy body Having a high viscosity.
are shorter than those of softwood pulp.
Heavy metals Metallic elements with high
Hazardous waste A subset of solid wastes atomic weights, eg mercury, chromium, cadmi-
that pose substantial or potential threats to um, arsenic and lead; can damage living things
public health or the environment. at low concentrations and tend to accumulate in
the food chain.
Hazardous waste minimisation Reducing
the amount or toxicity of waste produced by a Hermetic Air tight or impervious to the pas-
generator, either by source reduction or environ- sage of air.
mentally sound recycling.
Hickey A common printing defect, visible as a
Haze Applies to a printed picture in which spot surrounded by a blank halo, caused by a
there is a vagueness or non-sharpness. Can also speck of dirt pushing the substrate away from
apply to a job, which has been printed too hast- the printing plate also called a pic.
ily and shows small defects.
High bulking ground wood This term refers
HCFC Hydrochlorofluorocarbon. to low cost printing papers made primarily from
mechanical pulps, characterised by relatively
HDPE See High-density polyethylene. high bulk-to-weight ratios, high opacity and
high-speed printability.
Header An identifying line at the top margin of
a document, it can appear on every page and High definition (HD) flexo A process for
can include text, pictures, page numbers, the making digital flexographic plates resulting in
date and the time. Headers that are repeated high print quality with vibrant, deep colours,
throughout a document are called running head- sharp definition of contours and a high resolu-
ers or running heads. tion whilst offering the desired flexibility. The
special surface of the plate used, helps brings
Headline type In composition, type set larger improved consistency in print results compared
than the main reading body text, to attract atten- to standard flexo printing.
tion, eg a headline.

High density polyethylene – Icon
High density polyethylene (HDPE) Film Hot type When a casting method of melted
that has excellent moisture barrier and stiffness metal is used to set type copy instead of using
used in applications such as cereal and cracker the original type characters or a photographic
packaging. It is frequently co-extruded with heat process.
seal layers, such as ‘Surlyn’, to make a finished
packaging material. Blown HDPE film has better HSWO Heat set web offset.
stiffness and moisture barrier than cast HDPE
but is hazier. Extrusion coated HDPE resins are Hue Colour. See also L*C*h value.
generally used to improve grease resistance.
Hue error A measure for the purity of process
Highlight The lightest or whitest parts in an inks, how close they are to the ideal of absorb-
image represented in a halftone reproduction ing light only one-third of the spectrum.
by the smallest dots or no dots.
Humidity See Absolute humidity and relative
Histogram A graphical representation usually humidity.
in the form of a bar graph of a series of meas-
urements. The horizontal axis represents small Hybrid technology Joining together of differ-
sub ranges of the total range of the measured ent technologies in one unit, such as combining
value, starting at lacking affinity or attraction for flexo and digital in one machine.
water; opposite of smallest value and progress-
ing to the maximum hydrophilic value. The Hydro expansive The change in dimension
vertical axis represents the number of times the of paper that results from a change in the ambi-
measured value is in that particular range. ent relative humidity.
Holding line See Keyline. Hydrocarbon An organic compound con-

taining exclusively the elements carbon and
Hold out Resistance of paper to ink absorb- hydrogen.
tion.
Hydrometer An instrument for measuring the
Holland cloth The protective, starched linen specific gravity of a liquid or solution.
cover sheet used in rubber plate moulding to
prevent the plate from sticking to the mould. Hydrophilic Having an affinity for water.
Hologram A device created by recording the Hygrometer An instrument for measuring the
wave patterns and diffraction of light. Used humidity of air or a gas.
especially for security purposes.
Hysteresis A loss of energy due to successive
Homogeneous Of the same uniform composi- deformations and relaxation.
tion or construction.
I
Homopolymer polypropylene Pure
polypropylene. ICC Profile A complete description of a colour
space, specific to a particular device, by
Hot foil embossing unit Auxiliary tool, identifying or mapping the device independent
which can be built into a printing machine. CIELab colour values to the colour values of that
Generally designed to match the rotary cutting specific device. Used to characterise monitors;
unit, for in register rotary application of emboss- input devices, such as scanners and output
ing foil with a hot embossing cylinder. devices, such as proofers, presses, ICC profiles
match one device to another to achieve colour
Hot melt Synthetic coating for various packag- consistency.
ing, which can have numerous specifications.
Icon A tiny, on-screen symbol that simplifies

ID – Infrared drying
access to an application, command or data have on each other.
file. For example, a basket may represent the
command to delete a file activated by moving Imposition The process of laying out pages in
the cursor onto the icon and pressing a mouse a press form so that they will be in the correct
button or key. order after the printed sheet is folded.
ID Inside diameter. Impression The image transferred from the

printing plate to the substrate and the adjust-
Identification code The unique code assigned ment required to achieve that.
to each generator, transport, treatment, storage
or disposal facility by regulating agencies to Impression bar A small diameter rod or bar
facilitate identification and tracking of chemicals supported by a backup member of sufficient
or hazardous waste. rigidity, mounted in place of the impression
cylinder for running certain types of work, such
Idler rollers Roller mechanisms on converting as porous tissue.
machines used to support, smooth or direct, not
drive, the web in its course of travel through a Impression cylinder The roller or cylinder,
machine, usually covered with rubber. Textures which backs up or supports the substrate at the
in the rubber are made with a laser. point of impression.
Image areas (1) The area of the printing plate Imprint A secondary marking containing
which transfers ink to the substrate. (2) The additional information produced by pressure,
printed area of a receiving surface. printing or stamping.
Image capture The process of acquiring live Inching See Jog.

action or still life images and converting that
into a digital file, so it can be displayed, edited Incineration The destruction of solid, liquid or
and possibly output from a computer. See Scan- gaseous wastes by controlled burning at high
ning. temperatures.
Image setter High resolution output device Inconsistent polymerisation Minimal shad-
used to produce reproduction quality copy for ows in spite of adequate relief depth, generally
printing, either as camera-ready artwork on restricted to specific very limited areas, particu-
photographic paper or as film negatives or larly visible in text and screened areas.
positives.
Infeed A mechanism designed to control the
Image transfer This happens when an image forward travel of the web or sheet into the
is transferred by a scanner to a digital file, press.
this file is then transported through pre-press to
output in a film, digital file for proofing, image Infinitely variable repeat lengths
setter or any other ready-made printing forme. through direct drive technology. Separate
This image is then transferred from the forme to drive motors are provided for both plate cylin-
the substrate. ders and anilox roller. In this way any repeat
length changes are achieved by matching the
Imbalance A lack of equilibrium or proportion plate cylinder speed.
within a printing system. In practice to avoid
this all parameters must be well balanced right Influent The solution entering a process or
through the system from pre-press to piece of equipment.
finished job.
Infrared drying Infrared radiation is defined
Impingement In flexography this means the as electromagnetic radiation in the vacuum
influence the parameters of individual elements wavelength range of 780–800 nm = 0.8 µ up

Infrared light – Ink trap percentage
to 100 µ. Whilst producing Infrared radiation colour, fluidity and/or printability. Some
waves, heat becomes available. This heat can causes: high pH or introducing additives
be used for the drying of a web, there are without agitation.
different types: (1) IR-A has a wavelength range
from 0.76 up to 1.4 µ (2) IR-B has a wavelength Ink laydown The visual appearance of the ink
range from 1.4 up to 3.0 µ (3) Mean or medi- on the substrate surface.
um wavelength IR, also called IR-C has a range
from 3 up to 10 µ (4) Far or long wavelength IR Ink metering roller A roller that allows the
has a range from 10 up to 25 µ. amount of ink or coating to be applied to the
plate in a thin, even layer.
Infrared light Radiation in the infrared part
of the spectrum, the longer wavelengths beyond Ink pump A pump for the circulation of the ink
the visible red end of the spectrum, also called as a part of the metering system, there are dif-
black head because it is not visible yet produces ferent types: (1) Rotating pump, dip version, this
a warm sensation suitable for use as a heat type gives a constant volume without pulsing,
source. (2) Membrane pump, working with a sucking
nozzle. (3) Peristaltic pump for quick changes
Inhibitor A chemical added to another between the use of inks by replacing only the
substance to prevent an unwanted hose. (4) Membrane or peristaltic pumps with a
chemical change. stirrer unit (See also ink rotation). (5) Air pulse
pump, compressed air moves a double stroke
Ink balance The chemical relationship be- plunger.
tween different ink components.
Ink rotation The sequence in which inks are
Ink film The wet layer of ink on the anilox, printed, for process colours, it is commonly Y,
printing plate or substrate surface; its weight or M, C, K.
volume per unit area; as opposed to dry
ink film. Ink rub A defect often associated with matt
coated papers, in which parts of a dried ink
Ink film thickness A thickness of dried ink film are removed by pressure or friction from
at a certain spot in the printed job, consisting another surface.
of the various colours used, singly or on top of
each other; measured in microns or gsm. Ink souring See Ink kick out.
Ink fountain The ink pan or trough or other Ink starvation A print defect characterised
ink supply system on a printing press. by large vertical or irregular lines in what
should be the solid print area. It can be caused
Ink or fountain roller The rubber covered by poor anilox cell re-wetting, trapped air in
steel roller that took the ink to the anilox roller in chambered doctor blade systems and/or poor
older flexographic printing systems. These were ink balance.
used as late as the 1980s until the introduction
of the doctor blade. Ink trapping Overprinting one ink over
another to produce the desired secondary and
Inkjet printing A printer that sprays drops of tertiary colours required in process printing.
ink onto the substrate to form an image. Drop
on demand inkjet shoots out single drops of Ink trap percentage A measure of how well
ink, whilst continuous inkjet sprays a continuous one ink prints over another calculated from
stream of small droplets. measured print densities using the filter for
the second ink printed to form the overprint.
Ink kick out/ink fade The condition where Higher numbers are desirable, indicating the
some of the ink’s ingredients go out of suspen- ink’s ability to transfer equally to the unprinted
sion, causing loss of ink properties, such as substrate and to a previously printed ink film.

Ink, flexographic – Irradiation
A ‘perfect’ 100% trap is rarely achieved due spaces) two of which are wide (2-of-5). The
to the inherent measuring geometry and data interleaved reference comes from the way the
additive failure. symbolism takes digit pairs and interleaves them
into its symbol characters, one in the bars and
Ink, flexographic Fast drying fluid or nearly one in the spaces. It is widely used in the
paste type inks used in flexographic printing. airline industry.
Inking system In flexographic presses, the International Organization for Standard-

system consisting of an anilox roller, an ink sup- ization (ISO) Standard-setting body composed
ply and a doctoring system. Ink is flooded into of representatives from various national stand-
the engraved cells of the metering roller, excess ards organisations.
ink is doctored off by the wiping or squeezing
action of the fountain roll or a doctor blade and Interpolation The term describing the tech-
the ink that remains in the cells of the anilox me- nique of recreating the colour values of pixels in
tering roller is transferred to the printing plates. bitmap images, which have been modified (ie
dimension, resolution and orientation).
Inkjet A printing technology which utilises
liquid ink, which is sprayed through miniature In-the-round (ITR) Round seamless photopoly-
nozzles onto the substrate in dot matrix patterns, mer plates also known as sleeves.
forming text and graphics. For colour printing,
several nozzles connected to containers of Inverted pyramid cell The most commonly
coloured inks are used. used engraved anilox roller cell formation in
flexographic printing, it is literally an engraved,
Inline press (1) A press coupled to another inverted pyramid shaped cell that carries the ink
operation such as a bag making, sheeting, die- or coating within an anilox roller.
cutting, creasing, etc. (2) A multicolour press in
which the colour stations are mounted horizon- Ion exchange A reversible exchange of
tally in a line. charged atoms between a solid and a liquid.
When used with photo processing solutions, ion
Inline printing Printing as part of a continuous exchange removes silver and replaces it with
process of producing a finished product. ionised salts.
Inline processing A continuous process of IPA Isopropyl alcohol.

producing a finished product from basic
materials. Irradiance Radiant power arriving at a
surface from all forward angles per unit area.
Intaglio An engraved or etched design, which It is expressed in Watts per square centimetre
is below the surface as cells in an anilox roller or millWatts per square centimetre (W/m² or
or gravure cylinder. mW/cm²). See also Effective radiance, Spectral
irradiance and Fluence rate.
Intensity See Saturation.
Irradiance profile The irradiance pattern a
Interleave To insert separate sheets of paper, lamp or in the cause of dynamic exposure, the
etc between foil, printed paper or other stacked varying irradiance at a point on a surface that
sheet material to facilitate handling or to pre- passes through the field of illumination of a
vent blocking or smudging. lamp or lamps: irradiance vs time.
Interleaved 2-of-5 (JTF) Commonly en- Iridescent A shimmering rainbow

countered as the barcode specified for UCC/ colours effect.
EAN products when they are packaged about
the unit level in corrugated case, each symbol Irradiation To be treated with ultraviolet light
character contains five data elements (bars or or other high energy radiation.

Irritant – Kauri butane value
Irritant A non-corrosive chemical that causes a Job ticket Specifies the print job and gives
reversible inflammatory affect on living tissue by information necessary to carry out printing, such
chemical action at the site of contact. as pre-press requirements, technical information,
finishing required and administrative data.
Ishihara charts Colour vision sensitivity charts
containing irregular and varicoloured spots Jog (or inch) To intermittently operate a press
arranged around numbers or shapes that can for very short increments of web travel.
be read by the observer with normal colour vi-
sion but not by an observer with a colour vision Joule (millijoule) A unit of work or energy or
deficiency, ie ‘colour blindness’. the time integral, abbreviated to J or mJ.
ISO 14000 Similar to ISO 9000 except with a Journals The end shafts on which a roller
focus on environmental management standards. rotates.
ISO 9000 A set of standards on quality JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group.
systems for companies with design, manufactur- A picture compression standard/algorithm
ing and service capabilities. They were first developed by this group, designed for highly
developed by the International Organization for effective compression of either full colour or
Standardization (ISO). grey scale continuous tone digital images, not
for compression of black and white (one bit per
ISO See International Organization for pixel) images or moving pictures.
Standardization.
Jumbo roll A roll of web material, the outside
ISO cup A type of viscosity measuring cup. diameter of which is larger than standard
diameter.
ITF See Interleaved 2-of-5.
Justify To justify copy means to letter or word
J space the type characters on each line so all
will line up vertically on the left, right or both
JDF Job Definition Format. An XML based file margins.
format is designed to allow an open exchange
of data between different machines and appli- K
cations including pre-press, press and finishing.
This provides a streamlined flow of information K & N absorbency A test for comparing the
from job inception to completion. rate of ink absorbency of different papers.
Jellying The thickening of an ink or other liquid K Factor is the amount of distortion produced
which cannot be reversed by stirring. when mounting a flat printing plate onto a
cylinder. K Factor is dependent on plate thick-
Jet black A term used to describe the black- ness and structure and can be calculated: K
ness or intensity of the mass tone of black or Factor = 2 x Pl x (plate-thickness-thickness of
near black surfaces. backing layer), hence can vary from plate to
plate. Refer to plate supplier for the K-Factor of
JIT Just in time. An inventory strategy compa- its plate. Distortion factor (%) is the percentage
nies employ to increase efficiency and decrease compensation applied to flexo platemaking to
waste by receiving goods only when needed in allow for elongation when mounting a flat plate
the production process. onto a cylinder (relative to plate thickness) and
printing repeat.
JMF Job Messaging Format. A subset of the JDF
specification, it is the mechanism used in a JDF Kauri Butane value A measurement of the
deployment for device messaging, job control solvent strength of hydrocarbon solvent.
and job tracking.

KB value – Laminating unit
KB value See Kauri Butane Value. Knock out See Reverse.
K-bar Sometimes used to describe a piece of Knurled roller See Engraved roller.
equipment to turn the web around and print on
the reverse. Kraft paper Paper made from a particular
type of chemical wood pulp ie kraft pulp. It may
Kerning (1) Modifying the normal space be bleached or unbleached and is a strong
between letters during typesetting to achieve paper that is largely used for wrapping and
more readable and eye pleasing word forms. packaging.
Traditionally, this meant reducing the space
between only selected characters, such as the Kraft liner board A paperboard made on a
‘L’ and ‘Y’ in ‘only’. (2) Adding or subtracting Fourdrinier or cylinder machine and used as the
a small amount of space between each letter or facing material in the production of corrugated
character to adjust (justify) the length of a line of and solid fibre shipping containers.
copy. See also Tracking.
L
Ketones A class of organic compounds which
are generally colourless, volatile liquids, such as L*a*b* value Values that identity or define
acetone, methyl, ethyl ketone, etc. a colour in three-dimensional CIELab colour
space, L = Lightness, a = red/ green compo-
Key plate One plate of a set of colour plates nent, b = yellow/blue component.
which carries the major area of detail and to
which the other plates are registered. L*C*h* value The perceptual values of a
colour in CIELab colour space. It is an approach
Keyline (1) An outline usually in red drawn on to describing colour numerically, expressing the
artwork that may or may not form part of the colour in terms of L for lightness, C for chroma
artwork. It indicates the shape, size and posi- or saturation and h for hue or shade.
tion for elements such as halftones, line art, UPC
symbols. (2) The outline on artwork that will, Lacquer Originally used to denote a nitrocellu-
when transferred to a printing plate, provide a lose type of fast drying inks and varnishes, now
registration guide for the other colours. used as a term for any fast drying, clear varnish
with a plastic film former base.
Keyline art The black and white production
art for designs containing two or more colours, Ladder orientation Positioning the UPC sym-
in which all colour plates are shown on one bol so that the bars in the artwork are printed
surface in composite form. The trap width or running in the cross direction. See also Picket
overlapping colours are shown by white lines fence orientation.
within black solids.
Lake An insoluble compound of a dye
Kiss impression The lightest possible impres- colourant.
sion which will transfer a film of ink from the
anilox roller to the entire print surface of the Laminant An adhesive for combining and
printing plate or from the entire print surface of bonding a combination of films, foil, plastics,
the printing plate to the material being printed. papers or other material in sheet or web form.
Knife folder A folding unit with moving tapes Laminate (1) A product made by bonding
or belts that feed a sheet along a flat plane until together two or more layers of material or
it is stopped by a gauge and positioned against materials. (2) To unite layers of material with
a side guide. A metal knife presses at a right adhesives.
angle to the sheet, forcing it between two rollers
to create a fold. Laminating unit Integrated in the converting
section or just before the rewinder, a laminat-

Laminating – Lignin
ing unit can be built into a printing machine to the ink, causing metallic lustre.
apply a transparent plastic film to the substrate
as surface protection. This can be done on a Lean manufacturing A production practice
self-adhesive basis or in a mono configuration that considers the expenditure of resources for
for UV gluing via the final printing unit. any goal other than the creation of value for the
end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target
Laminating, solvent free Technique referring for elimination.
to a system that does not use solvents in the
binder for lamination. Mostly special heatable LEL See Lower explosive limit.
mixtures are used, with amounts less than
1.2 gsm. Lettering spacing See Kerning.
LAMS Laser ablation mask Used in CtP sys- Letterpress A method of printing that uses
tems, a thin black layer coating the photopoly- hard relief plates as an image carrier. The
mer plate which is imaged directly by-passing image area of the plate, raised above the
the film imaging step of analogue systems. non-printing area, receives the ink and is then
transferred directly to the substrate.
Landfill Disposal facilities for waste to be
placed in or on the land. Levelling Applied to various parts of the flexo-
graphic process where equipment is used to
Lap The portion of a material which covers or control differences such as web tension, etc.
overlaps another portion, at which the two thick-
nesses of material are bonded together. LFL See Lower flammable limit.
Laser Installation that is able to focus a light Life cycle analysis (LCA) The analysis of
source to a very hot spot, enabling it to ‘burn’ all energy resources and emissions used and
or to image a black layer, which can be produced in any and all of the processes of
washed out conventionally. Also ceramic anilox manufacturing, using, distributing and ultimately
rollers are made this way. There are the CO2, disposing of a product.
the YAG types, laser diode rays and special
types. Light fastness That property which renders a
material resistant to change in colour, depend-
Layout The preliminary arrangement of ing upon its use, a product may be required to
artwork, which shows the position, size, colour show good resistance (fastness) to change in
and other details for the final design. colour after exposure to destructive influences
such as light, acids and alkaline.
LDPE See Low density polyethylene.
Light stability A measure of the ability of a
Leading The vertical spacing between base pigment, dye or other colorant to retain its origi-
lines of type, measured in points or point units nal colour and physical properties either alone
but is referred to as leading or a given number or when incorporated into plastics, paints, inks
of lead points. See Point. and other coloured surfaces, upon exposure to
sun or other light.
Leading edge Usually the expression for the
side of the substrate, which is used by the web Light waves Light consists of electromagnetic
guiding equipment. This equipment follows waves, ranging from short to long ones. Only
the edge by means of mechanical, optical, a small part of the light is visible – rainbow
pneumonic-hydraulic, photo-mechanic or colours. Each colour has its own wavelength
video sensor. and characteristics.
Leafing The process whereby the metal flakes Lignin A substance in wood that binds its
contained in metallic inks float to the surface of fibres together and reinforces its structure. It is

Line art – Logo
removed in the manufacturer of chemical pulp. corrugated board.
Line art See Line copy. Linerboard Paperboard used for the flat fac-
ings in corrugated board.
Line colour Any colour that is not part of the
process colour image, printed on a separate Lines per centrimetre (l/cm) The number of
print station. Often, it is a special ink formula- dots per linear cm in a halftone, dot size varies
tion but can be a second print station using from very small highlight dots to large shadow
process inks, especially black. dots. More lines per cm increase resolution
detail and dot gain.
Line copy Copy made up of solids and lines in
contrast with halftones or shadings made up of Lines per inch (lpi) The number of dots per
a series of dots. linear inch in a halftone, dot size varies from
very small highlight dots to large shadow dots.
Line cut An engraving made from line copy. More lines per inch increase resolution detail
and dot gain.
Line drawing See Line copy.
Lint Surface fibres released from paper during
Line emission Narrow lines of emission from printing.
an atom in an excited state. These are the
‘spikes’ observed in spectrometry. Low pres- Liquid photopolymer See Photopolymer
sure sources exhibit finely distinguished line plate.
emission, higher pressure sources exhibit more
continuous spectra. Lithography A method of printing from a
plain surface (as smooth stone or metal plate)
Line films Photographic film that converts all on which the image to be printed is ink-recep-
tones of grey to only black or white granular tive and the non-printing area ink repellent. See
solids. also Planography.
Line growth The growth of a printed line as a Livering An irreversible increase in the thick-
result of pressure between the printing plate and ness of ink as a result of gelation or chemical
the substrate. change during storage. See also Jellying.
Line tone A form of halftone composed of lines LLDPE See Linear low density polyethylene.
instead of dots.
LMDPE See Linear medium density polyethyl-
Line work See Line copy. ene.
Linear blend See Gradient. Load (1) The total weight supported by the
journals of a roll. (2) The force exerted by one
Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) roll on another usually expressed in pounds per
A film having the same features as LDPE but linear inch (PLI).
stronger, with better hot tack strength. The film
resins are more expensive than LDPE and extru- Load cell Device as a part of the circuit for the
sion coating grades are even more so. tension regulation in a flexographic printing
machine.
Linear medium density polyethylene
(LMDPE) A film similar to LLDPE but one that Logo A mark or symbol designed for an indi-
provides improved stiffness, gloss and reduced vidual, company or product that translates the
flavour adsorption. impression of the body it is representing into a
graphic image.
Liner One of the outer smooth layers of

Logo colour – Mark
Logo colour Colours that signify a brand digital image files to save disk space without
name or corporate identity, to ensure its consist- sacrificing any data in the image.
ency from package to package, press run to
press run, logo colours should be treated as a M
line colour. Also brand colour.
Machine guard A safety device or method,
Logotype An alphabetical configuration which prevents the equipment or machine
designed to identify by name, an individual, operators from placing any part of their body in
company or product, known also as trademark. a hazardous zone.
Longitudinal cutting units They are either Machine wire The continuous copper or
squeezing knives or scissors knife concepts, bronze wire, which is the travelling surface
depending on the substrates to be processed. upon which the web of paper is formed, it is
These units are used not only to slit the parent usually referred to as the Fourdrinier wire.
reel into whatever number of narrow reels are
needed but also to trim the edges of the web. MACT See Maximum achievable control
technology.
Loose colour proof A process colour proof
with no line copy or special (custom) ink Magenta See Process magenta.
colours.
Makeready (1) The preparation and correc-
Loupe A small, handheld magnifying device tion of the printing plate before starting the print
used to check the dot structure and line thick- run, to ensure uniformly clean impressions of
ness of the film and printed piece, first (and optimum quality. (2) Techniques used in mount-
still) used by jewellers and watchmakers. Also ing plates to plate cylinders in order to achieve
known as a glass. thickness uniformity or controlled variation in
thickness, such as a lower area for fine screens
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) A low in a combination plate. (3) All preparatory
cost resin, LDPE film has a good moisture bar- operations preceding production on press.
rier, heat sealable and strength. Extrusion LDPE
has an excellent bond to paper and varying Mandrel A shaft upon which cylinders or other
bonds to other substrates. devices are mounted or affixed.
Low migration ink An ink designed for use Management Information System (MIS)
on food packaging that is formulated using Computerised modules designed to streamline
selected components which should ensure that workflow by providing relevant real time infor-
migration from the resultant printing ink film will mation as the job is going through the press.
be within accepted migration limits, provided
that the packaging structure is suitable, and the Manifest A multi-copy shipping form used
packaging ink is applied under Good Manu- to identity the type and quantity of waste, the
facturing Practices (see GMP) in accordance generator, the transporters and the TSDF to
with guidance given by the ink supplier for the which the waste is being shipped. The manifest
intended application. includes copies for all participants in the waste
shipment chain and is often obtained. Applies
LPI See Lines per inch. to all types of shipping forms.
Lubrication Most modern flexo machines have Manifest system See Cradle to grave system.
automatic lubrication points in-built, which ap-
ply oil automatically. Mark A print fault characterised by a localised
pattern that repeats. The mark can be in printed
LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch). A compression or non-printed areas, positive or negative.
scheme that uses an algorithm to compress

Mask - Metallic replacement
Mask To block out part of an image to prevent and activities.
reproduction or to allow for alterations.
Median The value of the variable in a statisti-
Mass tone The colour of a bulk of ink. cal sampling which exceeds half of the observa-
tions and is exceeded by half.
Materials exchange A mutually beneficial
relationship whereby two or more organisa- Medium density polyethylene (MDPE) A
tions exchange materials that otherwise would film that provides better barrier and chemical
be thrown away. In some areas, computer and resistance than LDPE.
catalogue networks are available to match up
companies that wish to participate in exchang- Medium density tape A foam mounting
ing their materials. tape, more firm and resilient than the standard
double-sided tape.
Matrix An intermediate mould made from an
engraving or type form, from which a rubber Medium The corrugated or fluted portion of
plate is subsequently moulded. combined corrugated board, supporting the
outer liner board.
Matt For instance, final negative films must
have a matt surface on the emulsion side. This Medium web Printing machinery with a
guarantees air-free contact with the smooth web width from 50 cm up to 150 cm (20–60
surface of the plate and thus faithful detailed inches).
reproduction of all the details of the image
elements. Megabyte (Mb) A unit of measurement
equivalent to 1024 kilobytes or 1,048,576
Matt finish A low gloss, dull finish, compared bytes, commonly used to specify the capacity of
with coated box paper, a finish with a gloss test computer memory.
less than 55%.
Melamine A very resistant thermoset plastic.
MDPE See Medium density polyethylene.
Melting point An important issue especially
Mean (arithmetic) The value or statistic that for manufacturers, printers and converters of
is the result of the sum of the statistical obser- plastic film, drying, lamination and sealing
vations in a sample divided by the number of temperatures have to be monitored carefully.
observations in the sample.
Meniscus Curved upper surface formed by a
Mean quality See Average. column of liquid in a vessel or tube.
Mechanical Camera-ready paste-up of artwork Mercury lamp Medium pressure lamp having
and type on one piece of art board; may be many purposes, the quick-start type is used for
accompanied by overlays. stroboscopic video systems for print and colour
inspection.
Mechanical pulp Wood de-fibred to form
pulp by means of mechanical energy, almost Metallised Chilled plastic (mostly OPP) film,
100% of the raw timber is used in making placed under dampened aluminium producing
the pulp. The process has higher electricity a silver affect and used in packaging.
consumption that chemical pulp production.
Mechanical pulp is usually bleached with per- Metallic inks Inks composed of aluminium or
oxide, paper made by this method turns brown bronze powder in varnish to produce gold or
with age. silver colour effects.
Media Specific environments (air, water or soil) Metallic replacement A method of recover-
that are the subject of regulatory concerns ing silver from silver rich solutions by an

Metamerism – mmHg
oxidation reduction reaction with element iron tion. This means that the system can only be
and metallic silver. used for solvent and water-based inks.
Metamerism When two colours match Migration The transportation or movement of

under one source of illumination but not under molecules from on a material, liquid or gas from
another. one side of the substrate to the other or between
two substrates or layers.
Metering system A general name for a
system, which transports the ink, coating, Mileage The usage factor of any ink, referring
lacquering, glue, etc, from the container to the to the amount of ink used to cover a certain
substrate. area of printed surface.
Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) A relatively fast Mill roll A roll of paper, film or foil as received
drying, organic solvent of the ketone family. A by the converter from the paper mill.
good solvent for nitro-cellulose and vinyl lac-
quers. Small amounts will swell natural rubber, Milling process (1) Old process for the
its boiling point is 175° F Highly flammable, its mechanical engraving of anilox rollers, they
flash point is 24° F. can be engraved mechanically up to 160
lines/cm (400 lines/inch). A higher line count
Metric tonne Unit of weight equivalent to needs to be laser engraved (in ceramic). (2)
2,204.6 pounds. Embossing and other special profiled rollers
are still mechanically engraved.
Meyer rod A metal rod wound with fine wire
around its axis so that liquids can be drawn Min/max rule The minimum and maximum
down evenly at a given thickness across a type or line width a press is capable of re-
substrate. producing, usually determined by press charac-
terisation data.
Mezzotint An irregular, random dot halftone.
Minimum dot The smallest dot size a press is
Mg/kg Milligram per kilogram. capable of re-producing, usually determined by
press characterisation data.
mg/l Milligrams per litre; equivalent to ppm.
MIS See Management information systems.
Micro dot Typically used in video-mounting
devices, they are 0.010” diameter dots placed Mis-register A condition where printing is out
on the left and right side of the printed materials of or not in register. See Register.
and in the centre of the web direction. When
printed, the dots will overprint each other and Misting A mist or fog of tiny ink droplets
appear to be an almost perfect dot. thrown off the press by the rollers. See also
Flying.
Micrometer An instrument (calliper) for meas-
urement in terms of small dimensions, usually in Mixing white A white ink, either transparent
0.001” and 0.0001”. or opaque, used in making tints.
Micron A unit of measurement, one millionth of Mixture Any combination of two or more
a metre or about .00004”. The useful conver- chemicals if the combination is not, in whole or
sion factor is 25 microns = 0.001”. part, the result of a chemical reaction.
Microwave dryer This drying is more or less mmHg Millimetres (mm) of mercury (Hg); a
based on the microwave oven systems. This sys- unit of measurement for low pressures or partial
tem has a wavelength of about 10 cm and does vacuums.
not have enough energy to initiate polymerisa-

Mode quality – Murray-Davies equation
Mode quality The value in a series of meas- or striations.
urements which occur most frequently.
Mould (1) A female forme used for production
Mode The value of the variable in a set of sta- of desired shapes (2) To form a matrix or rubber
tistical data at which the greatest concentration plate, using heat and pressure. See also Matrix.
of observations occur
Moulding bearing bars See Bearer.
Modulus of elasticity The ratio of stress pro-
duced in a material corresponding to the strain Moulding press A platen press in which
producing the stress, within the elastic limit of matrices or rubber plates are formed.
the material.
Mounting and proofing machine A device
Moiré (screen clash) An interference pattern for accurately positioning plates to the plate
caused by the out of register overlap of two cylinder and for obtaining proofs for register
or more regular patterns such as dots or lines. and impression, off the press.
In flexographic printing, it can be caused by
incorrect relative screen of the anilox rollers and Mounting The process of affixing plates on a
halftone plate. Screen angles are selected to cylinder or base in proper position to register
minimise this pattern. colour to colour as well as to the product forme
to be printed.
Moisture-proof Not affected by moisture. A
barrier to moisture, although materials which Mullen bursting strength The measurement
resist passage of moisture are often called of a material’s strength to resist burst, expressed
moisture-proof, their preferable designation is in pounds per square inch. The test is made on
moisture barrier. a motor-driven Mullen tester.
Monochromatic Light radiated from a source Mullen tester The equipment which tests burst-
that is concentrated in a only a very narrow ing strength of paper.
wavelength range (band width). This may be
accomplished either by filters or by narrow Multi-colour overprinting The technique
band emission. of overprinting a given number of transparent
colours to produce additional colours without us-
Monochromator An instrument that separates ing halftones. For example, to produce orange,
incoming radiant energy into its component green, purple and brown, cyan, magenta and
wavelengths for measurement. Two methods yellow are overprinted to make seven colours
are used for dispersing the radiation: diffraction from three.
grating or prism. The typical resolution may be
1 nanometre or less. Munsell colour system A proprietary colour
system where colour is defined in terms of H
Monochrome Consisting of a single colour or (hue), C (chroma) and V (lightness).
hue. In printing this refers to imaging in shades
of grey, used interchangeably with black Murray-Davies equation A formula for
and white. calculating dot area based on density measure-
ments. This measurement approximates the total
Monomer A chemical combination of mol- of physical dot size plus optical dot gain due to
ecules corresponding with the individual units of insufficient light absorption of the ink and extra
a polymer. It is capable of being incorporated light absorption of the substrate, thus the term
(polymerised) into polymers. ‘apparent dot area’. Under visual examina-
tion with a 10X magnifying glass, the printed
Mottle A non-uniform ink lay resulting in a dot would appear smaller than the calculated
speckled or indistinctly spotted appearance, apparent dot area which correlatives well with
also known as orange peel, flocculation visual perception when holding the printed

MVT rate – Non-scratch
piece at normal viewing distance. See also Neoprene A synthetic chlorinated butadiene
Dot area. rubber used in making flexo rollers, that are
resistant to alcohol, cellosolve, water, aliphatic
MVT rate Moisture vapour transmission rate. hydrocarbons and to a limited extent, esters
See Water vapour transmission rate. (acetates) but not resistant to aromatic
hydrocarbons.
Mylar A DuPont trade name for tough,
polymeric polyester produced in the form of a Neutral The absence of acidic or alkaline
clear film. activity in a material, the presence of an equal
concentration of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions;
N a pH of 7.
Nanometre Unit of length, abbreviated nm, Neutral tone The absence of colour and
equivalent to one thousand-millionth (109) of a achromatic tone produced by balancing the ink
metre. densities of yellow, magenta and cyan.
Naphtha An aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, Nickel Hard silver white magnetic metal,
characterised by low K.B. values, derived from chemical formula Ni, this has several purposes
petroleum, such as hexane, V M & P naphtha, in particular for nickel sleeves.
etc. It swells natural or butyl rubber and has
slight affect on Buna-N or Neoprene. Nigrosine A deep blue or black aniline or coal
tar dyestuff.
Narrow web Printing machinery with a web
width up to 550 mm (20 inches). Nip The line of contact between two rollers.
Native file format The process in which an Nitro-cellulose A film formerly widely used in
application program saves data. flexography and with gravure inks, also known
as nitrated cellulose. See also Pyroylin.
Natural daylight Direct sunlight which varies
according to the hour of the day and the season Nodule A small lump, round or irregular
of the year. shaped, such as chrome projections on an
anilox roller, needing additional polishing
Natural drying time The amount of time it for removal.
takes the ink to dry as it leaves the last printing
unit and before the web dryer temperature Non-bottoming The foundation is not fixed.
begins to rise.
Non-ferrous metals Metals not containing
NC adjustable printing units Numeric any sizeable proportion of iron.
controlled units, for instance printing decks, for
the adjustment of the printing pressure, etc. This Non-fogging film A film that does not
system permits automatic movement of the print- become cloudy from moisture condensation
ing unit and precise adjustment to the printing caused by temperature and humidity changes.
position.
Non-increment press A flexo press capable
Needle bearings Bearings, mostly high preci- of printing infinite variable repeats and is not
sion bearings, for all removable cylinders in the dependent on standard gear pitch increments.
printing decks, with a very tight tolerance.
Non-point source Any source of pollution not
Negative A photographic image of originals associated with a distinct discharge point
on paper, film or glass in reverse of that of the
original copy, ie dark areas appear light and Non-scratch Inks which have high abrasion
vice versa. and mark resistance when dry.

Non-specific source wastes – Operation
Non-specific source wastes These include of the printing plate.
solvents that have been used in cleaning or
degreasing operations. Off-spec A chemical that does not meet specifi-
cations to perform a particular function.
Non-volatile That portion of a material, which
does not evaporate at ordinary temperatures. Off press proof A simulation of the printed
job produced directly from digital information
Notice of Violation (NOV) A formal notifica- or photographic films.
tion by a government agency to an emission
source indicating violation of a regulation. Oligomer Chemicals used during the extrusion
of several types of plastic film.
NOx This list identifies wastes from common
manufacturing and industrial processes. OML Overall migration limit. Migration limit for
plastic materials: 10 mg of substances/dm² of
Nylon A synthetic resin, part of the polyamide the food contact surface for all substances that
family. can migrate from food contact materials
to food.
O
On press proof Sample print in a small run
Object oriented An approach in drawing and length to show the final printed result.
layout programs that treats graphics as line and
arc segments rather than individual dots. Also Opacity (1) Having the quality of being
referred to as vector oriented. impervious to light rays. (2) The degree of light
unable to transmit through a material.
OCC Old corrugated containers used for recy-
cled pulp. Opaque (1) A paint exhibiting light obstructive
qualities used to block out areas on a photo-
OCR See Optical Character Recognition. graphic negative not wanted on the plate. (2) To
apply opaque materials.
Odour Unwanted recognisable smell left
behind on the printed web after drying and re- Open pre-press interface (OPITM) An
winding of the web. See also Solvent retention. extension of the PostScript page description
language. It is a workflow where the high reso-
Offset The transfer of printing inks or coatings lution images are stored in a central location on
from the surface of a printed sheet to other a file server and the low resolution files with the
surfaces. same name are sent to the individual worksta-
tions to be used for layout. When the completed
Offset printing Offset printing is a lithograph- file is sent for output, the high resolution images
ic printing process, also called a flat printing are automatically swapped out with the low
process. The operation of offsetting the printing resolution images.
ink from the printing plate to a cylinder covered
with a rubber blanket before it is transferred to Operating side That side of a flexographic
the substrate, which can be sheet or web (rotary press on which the printing unit adjustments
offset). The plates are flat, mostly from alumin- are located.
ium, while the imaging takes place by means
of a photographic process or a static electric Operation and maintenance plan A plan
process, direct digitally on the imaging/printing describing the planned/scheduled maintenance
cylinder. The principle is based on the separa- of equipment.
tion of printing and non-printing areas on the
printing plate by means of chemical preparation Operation from a central control facility
of the surface, ie the production of ink receptive All the machine functions are displayed at the
(oleophilic) and ink repellent (oleophobic) areas central control facility so that the machine can

OPITM – Pantone matching system
be managed by one person. barrier or good heat sealability.
OPITM See Open pre-press interface. Original The material that is required to be
reproduced in the printing process, such as a
OPP Substrates See Oriented polypropylene. photograph, transparency, artist’s drawing or
merchandise sample.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) A
means of inputting copy, without the need to Out of gamut The condition where the gamut
key it in, by using software which, when used of one device is less than that of another. For
with a scanner, converts the type into editable example, many colours that are displayed on a
computer text. monitor cannot be reproduced on a press using
CMYK process colour inks.
Optical density The light stopping ability
of a photographic film or printed image, it is Out turn An expression generally used for a
mathematically expressed as the logarithm of sample from a running reel. In most printing
opacity. companies a sample from each reel is put aside
for later inspection for quality control.
Optical disk A high density storage device
that uses a laser to burn a pattern of holes into Out work Operations put out to another com-
a tellurium film on the disk’s surface. A single pany or individual for reasons of specialisation
optical disk can hold billions of bytes of data. In or capacity.
fact, one optical disk storage system can store
the entire Encyclopedia Britannica if necessary. Overlay The transparent sheet attached to
copy used to indicate changes, colour separa-
Optical distortion To change an object’s tion, etc.
appearance when viewed through a transparent
material, adding certain defects such as wavi- Overprint The printing of one ink impression
ness of surface, etc. over another.
Optical scanner Device that analyses the light Over run Sheets or copies produced in excess
reflected from or transmitted through copy, art of the required number.
or film and produces an electronic signal pro-
portional to the intensity of the light or colour. Overtone Modifying the hue or tone of a
colour.
Orange peel See Mottle.
Overwrap A wrapper applied over a product,
Order data storage. These systems store package, carton, box, etc.
data from the running order but are also able to
produce data from older orders, for repeats and Oxidation The use of heat to burn VOCs in a
the calculation of the used raw products, data solvent laden gas stream.
for after calculations and time registration.
Oxygen inhibition When photopolymer is
Organic Refers to the compounds in the field of exposed, a chemical reaction (polymerisation)
chemistry containing carbon. takes place. During the reaction the polymer is
sensitive to oxidation, so there is an inhibition of
Organosol A suspension of particles in an available oxygen which influences the quality of
organic solvent, mostly made with vinyl resins, the photopolymer printing forme.
solvents and plasticizers.
P
Oriented polypropylene A clear stiff film
with good heat resistance and good moisture Pantone matching system (PMS) The
barrier. Coated grades also have good oxygen brand name of a system for specifying colours;

Paper direction – Phosphorescent inks
one of the standards in the printing industry. to have a special shine, they are mostly made
by adding mineral glimmer and special coating.
Paper direction The direction at which that
the paper web is produced. See also Machine Penetration The ability of a liquid (ink, var-
direction. nish or solvent) to be absorbed.
Pareto analysis A graph of the number of Percent volatile The percentage of a liquid
occurrences of different items, usually problems or solid (by volume) that will evaporate at an
or faults and used as a tool to analyse and ambient temperature of 70° F.
pinpoint the significant few from the insignifi-
cant many. Perceptual colour space A colour space or
model based on how people see colour. See
Paperboard A term sometimes used for light- also CIELab.
weight boards (below 300 gsm).
Perchloroethylene (PCE) A colourless, non-
Parity checking Built into barcodes, a method flammable liquid. It is an irritant and extended
of error checking the graphic design of the exposure can adversely affect the human nerv-
symbolism itself, such as an odd number of nar- ous system.
row bars in every properly encoded character
or an even number of dark modules for each Perfecting Printing both sides of the substrate
character at the same pass through a printing machine.
Particulate matter (PM) A criteria air pol- Perfumed ink A printing ink with a small
lutant that includes dust, soot and other tiny percentage of concentrated scent to impart a
particles of solid materials that are released and desired aroma or fragrance to the printed sheet.
move around in the air.
Peristaltic pumps A type of pump used for
Pastel A tint or matt tone to which white has ink circulation.
been added.
Permit to operate Contains all applicable
Path rollers Also called guide rollers, these and enforceable control requirements and has a
guide the web through the print machine. definite period of effectiveness.
Pattern or pattern plate The engraving or PET See Polyethylene terephthalate.

combination of plates used for making the matri-
ces from which rubber plates are made. pH The measurement of acidity or alkalin-
ity of an aqueous solution, 7 on the scale is
PCB See Polychlorinated biphenyls. neutral; less than 7 is acidic and greater than
7 is alkaline. Strong acids have a pH of 1–3;
PCE See Perchloro-ethylene. weak acids about 6. Strong bases have a pH of
12–13, weak bases about 8. See also Neutral.
PDF See Portable document format.
Phantom imaging See Ghosting.
PE See Polyethylene.
Phenolic The generic name for phenol-formal-
Peak irradiance The intense, peak of focused dehyde plastic.
power directly under a lamp. The maximum
point of the irradiance profile. Measured in Phosphorescent inks Special effect inks that
irradiance units (W/cm²). shine in the dark without apparent combustion
or heat.
Pearlescent pigments Pigments that are able
to break the light in such a way that they seem

Photo chromic – Pitch diameter
Photo chromic Ability of darkening in a Pica A unit of type measure equivalent to 1/6”.
bright light. One pica equals 12 points.
Photo composition The process of setting Picket fence orientation The positioning of
type copy photographically, as opposed to us- the UPC symbol, so that the bars in the artwork
ing the method of inking and proofing lead type are printed running in the machine direction.
characters. See also Ladder orientation.
Photo engraving A metal plate prepared Picking The lifting of any portion of a surface
photo chemically, from which the matrix or rub- during the printing impression.
ber mould is produced.
Pick resistance The ability of the paper’s sur-
Photo initiator A substance, which by absorb- face, ie the coating, film or fibre, to resist lifting
ing light, becomes energised into forming free from the surface when struck during printing.
radicals which promote radical reactions and
polymerisation. Pigment An insoluble inorganic or organic
colouring material dispersed in a liquid vehicle
Photometer An instrument for measuring vis- to impart colour to inks, paints and plastics. See
ible light, usually filtered or corrected to match also Dyes.
the human eye response.
Pigment load The amount of pigment in an
Photo multiplier tube (PMT) A light detec- ink formulation as a percentage of the total
tion device traditionally used in high-end drum liquid volume.
scanners. PMTs are highly light sensitive and
are physically larger in size compared with Pigments, inorganic A class of pigments
CCDS. consisting of various metallic compounds, eg
titanium oxide, iron blue.
Photopolymer plate (1) A flexible relief print-
ing plate, used in flexography, made of either Pigments, organic A class of pigments which
pre-cast sheet or liquid light sensitive polymers. are manufactured from coal tar and its deriva-
Photopolymer plates require exposure to UV tives, these pigments are generally stronger,
light during the platemaking process. (2) Print- brighter and more transparent than inorganic
ing plates and formes developed in the early pigments.
years of 1970, made from several kinds of poly
acrylates which are able to polymerise under Piling The build-up of ink on a roller, plate or
the influence of UV-A light. Printing formes made blanket.
from photopolymer plates have encouraged the
development of delicate screens in flexographic Pin holing When printed ink fails to form a
printing. They have been developed as solvent complete, continuous coverage, evident by the
and water washable types. random formation of small holes in the printed
area.
Photopolymers The generic name for a mix-
ture of materials that are sensitive to UV or vis- Pin-on temperature The temperature when
ible light exposure. With image-wise exposure, an ink adheres to the substrate.
they are used extensively in off-press proofing
materials and printing plates. Piping A defect in reels consisting of ridges
running around the circumference due to mois-
Photosetting The process of composing text ture take up by the surface layers.
matter directly onto a photographic or other
light sensitive material. Pitch diameter The measurement of a gear,
determined by dividing the tooth pitch line
Photostat See Stat. circumference by pi.

Pitch line – Platemounting tape
Pitch line An imaginary circle on the gear at and OPP, polyacrylate, PVDC, PVC, polyamide
the point of true mesh with the mating gear. The PA and many others.
circumference of the pitch line determines the
repeat of the gear on the print cylinder. Plasticisers Materials that imparts flexibility to
an ink or lacquer.
Pixel The abbreviation for picture element,
it is the smallest unit (cell, dot, square) on a Plate break The non-print area where the two
colour monitor display screen grid that can be ends of a flexographic plate butt together after
displayed, stored or addressed. An image is being wrapped around the plate cylinder on the
typically composed of a rectangular array printing press.
of pixels.
Plate cylinder The press cylinder on which
Pixels per inch (PPI) The unit used to meas- the printing plates are mounted. There are two
ure the resolution of a digital image. types, integral when the shaft is a permanent
part of the body and de-mountable where the
Planography See Lithography. shaft is removable to receive a multiple of bod-
ies of varying diameters and, in some cases,
Plasma treated films Treatment of one or face widths.
both sides of films to aid bonding of the ink.
Platemaking The procedure of making pho-
Plastic films Usually referring to a thin web topolymer printing formes from exposed films on
made from various single plastics or combi- raw monomer to the finished ready to use plate.
nations, laminations or co-extrusions. These
materials are used extensively world wide for Platemounting tape The double-sided adhe-
packaging and food packaging. Most used sive coated material used for mounting rubber,
plastics are polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP photopolymer or elastomeric printing plates to
The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

Plate setter – Polystyrene
the plate cylinder. or causes a health hazard.
Plate setter See lmage setter. Poly See Polyethylene.
Plate staggering A mounting technique Polyamide Polymers containing amide groups;

whereby multiple plates are staggered or offset for example nylon, versamid resins, etc for use
with respect to each other on the plate cylinder, as binder.
usually done to prevent plate and cylinder
bounce. Polycarbonate A thermoplastic that is heat
and moisture resistant. Commonly used for
Platen (1) The heated plates of a printing plate industrial components and also food containers
vulcaniser that press the engraving into the and baby bottles.
matrix or matrix into the rubber during the plate
making process. (2) The heated plate on a flat Polychlorinated byphenise (PCBs) Mixtures
bed transfer printing press, which presses the of a certain class of carcinogenic, synthetic,
heat transfer paper onto the fabric to produce organic chemical regulated by OPPT and other
the finished design. agencies.
Ply Each layer in a multi-layered structure. Polychromatic or polychromic Consisting

of many wavelengths.
PM 10 Particulate matter greater than 10
microns in diameter. Polyester See Polyethylene terepthalate.
PMS See Pantone matching system. Polyethylene A polymerised ethylene resin

used for packaging films or moulded for a wide
PMT See Photomultiplier tube. variety of containers, kitchenware and tubing.
Pock marks A print defect, also referred to as Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) An ori-
craters or volcanoes, often caused by solvent ented PET film that has excellent stiffness, clarity,
retention. heat-resistance and dimensional stability, good
oxygen barrier and some moisture barrier. Also
Point (1) A unit of measure to specify paper- used for (mostly positive) doctor blades.
board thickness, equivalent to mils or 0.001”,
ie 20 pt equals 0.20”. (2) A unit of type meas- Polymer A compound formed by linking
urement, equivalent to 0.01 39”. There are 12 simple and identical molecules having functional
points to a pica and 72 points to the inch. See groups that permit their combination, to pro-
also Pica. ceed to higher molecular weights under suitable
conditions.
Point source A stationary location or fixed
facility (such as an industry or municipality) Polymerisation A chemical reaction in which
that discharges pollutants into the air or water the molecules of a monomer are linked together
surface through pipes, ditches, lagoons, wells to form large molecules the weight of which is a
or stacks. multiple of that of the original substance.
Points Measurement of calliper: 0.001”. Polypropylene (PP) Claimed to be the light-

est commercially available thermoplastic. It has
Polarised light Limitation of vibrations of light a high rigidity and surface hardness. Commonly
waves by a single plane. used in the manufacture of houseware, luggage
and bottle caps.
Pollution Any substance in water, soil or air
that degrades the natural quality of the environ- Polystyrene A class of plastics which includes
ment, offends the senses of sight, taste or smell styrofoam coffee cups, food trays and ‘clam

Polyurethane – Press direction
shell’ packaging, as well as some yoghurt Post-print Direct printing of corrugated board.
tubs, clear carry out containers and plastic
cutlery. Foam applications are sometimes called PostScript A computer language created by
expanded polystyrene (EPS). Some recycling Adobe Systems, which allows a programmer
of polystyrene is taking place but is limited by to create complex pages using a series of com-
its low weight-to-volume ratio and value as a mands. Text and graphics can be controlled
commodity. with mathematical precision and image output
to laser printers and high resolution image
Polyurethane A type of plastic used for setters.
packaging and making inks. Made from ethyl
carbonate. Potential to emit (PTE) The maximum capaci-
ty of an air contamination source to emit any air
Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) A film contaminant under its physical and operational
that has excellent water, oxygen and flavour design, operating every hour of the year.
barriers. In emulsion form, it can be used as a
barrier coating. Powdering See Chalking.
Pop test Slang term for the bursting test, origi- PP See Polypropylene.
nating from the popping sound when the paper
bursts. See also Mullen tester. PPB Parts per billion.
Population In statistics, the total of all possible PPI See Pixels per inch.
observations of the same kind from which the
statistical sample is drawn. PPM Parts per million.
Porosity A property of paper that allows the Precipitate An insoluble substance that forms
permeation of air, an important factor in ink in a solution.
penetration.
Pre-flight A process of determining the
Portable document format (PDF) A file completeness and correctness of an electronic
format invented by Adobe Systems as a solution design file prior to commencement of produc-
to transporting digital files cross platform. PDFs tion.
are independent of the original application
software, hardware and operating system used Pre-make ready Varying the surface height
to create those documents, capturing all the of printing plates before going to press in order
elements of a printed document as an electronic to achieve better printability.
image which can then be forwarded, viewed,
navigated and printed. PDFs are also device Pre-press All functions that take place before
independent, resolution independent and page a job is printed such as artwork, proofing and
independent. Manipulation and page routing makeup.
can occur, which characterise the editable com-
ponent of the PDF file. Files in this format are Pre-print Printing of liner before application to
based on the same imaging model as PostScript a corrugated board.
but are optimised and compressed for transport
and delivery (portability). Press characterisation The procedure to
quantify and document the printing process and
POS Point of sale. use the data to adjust upstream systems and
provide data to monitor the printing process for
Positive A photographic image on paper, consistency.
film or glass which exactly corresponds to the
original subject in all details. Press direction The direction of paper parallel
to its forward movement on the press. The direc-

Press proofs – Private label
tion at right angles to this is called the cross Print contrast A ratio of the difference
press direction. between the printed solid area density and a
printed shadow tint area (traditionally 75% as
Press proofs Printed sections of substrate ma- measured on the platemaking file or film nega-
terial made on a press to allow for approval or tive for offset lithography; 70% for flexography)
final corrections before the production printing to the density of the solid, expressed as a
run is made. percentage. This indicates the printing system’s
capability to hold image detail in the upper tone
Pressure control In letterpress and flexog- region. Most desirable (highest) print contrast
raphic printing where the image is in relief, occurs with the simultaneous highest solid print
pressure or impression is crucial to good print. density and the lowest dot gain.
Modern control systems will monitor this and
correct automatically where necessary. Print on demand The ability to print the exact
number of units necessary at any required time.
Pressure sensitive adhesives Refers to
a permanent adhesive that maintains tack Print outs A facsimile from an output device
throughout its useful life. This means that these such as a laser or inkjet printer, of the copy
materials have to remain inherently sticky after programmed into the computer for review.
the process involved has finished.
Print voids A print defect resulting from the
Pre-treatment Methods used by industry and non-transfer of ink to the substrate.
other non-household sources of wastewater to
remove, reduce or alter the pollutants in waste- Printability The collective term used to
water before discharge to a POTW. describe the substrate properties required for
acceptable print image quality.
Preucil See Ink trap percentage.
Printed dust A print fault where dust appears
Primary colours Those from which all other on the solid areas, it is more common on thin
colours are derived but which cannot be pro- substrates, such as film.
duced from each other. The additive primaries
(light) are blue, green and red. The subtractive Printing formes All the formes that can be
primaries (colorant) are cyan, magenta and used for flexographic printing: (1) Rubber
yellow. printing formes for lines, blocks and large areas
(2) Moulded rubber plates (3) Laser engraved
Primary packaging The first layer of packag- rubber (4) Liquid photopolymer (5) Solid water
ing, ie what the consumer takes home. washable photopolymer (6) Solid solvent wash-
able (7) Laser imaged solvent or water wash-
Primary standards To set limits to protect able, CTP (8) Direct laser engraved photopoly-
public health, including the health of people mer (9) Direct laser engraved elastomer or any
sensitive to air pollution, such as young chil- other plastic compound (10) All combinations,
dren, the elderly and those with asthma. but endless (11) All combinations but made on
sleeves (12) Plates mounted with special mount-
Prime coat The initial base coating applied to ing applications.
enhance subsequent printing.
Printing machinery for pre-printed liner
Printability A substrate having all the neces- Developed in the UK, Italy, the USA and Ger-
sary attributes to accept a good quality print. many around 1981. Width from 2500 mm up
to 6000 mm (100 up to 240 inches).
Print characteristics Information from meas-
urements, which set out the abilities of a printing Printing, flexographic See Flexography.
press.
Private label A retailer’s own range of

Process black – Proofing paper
products. Also known as own brand. Process yellow One of the four ink colours
used in four-colour process printing. Like all pro-
Process black One of the four ink colours cess inks, this ink must be transparent. This will
used in four-colour process printing. Like all allow for the blending of varying amounts of
‘process’ inks, this ink must be transparent. This each of the process colours to achieve the visual
will allow for the blending of varying amounts appearance of the many thousands of shades
of each of the process colours to achieve the capable of being printed by flexography.
visual appearance of the many thousands of
shades capable of being printed by Production run The final printing requested by
flexography. the customer from the original artwork.
Process colour Cyan, magenta, yellow and Profile See ICC Profile.
black inks used in four-colour process printing;
hue may be modified to meet specific needs. Profilometer Measuring device which indi-
cates the roughness of a surface to be printed.
Process control That procedure for examin-
ing a process which aims at evaluating future Programmable print monitoring An
performance through the use of statistical quality optional feature with automatic fault monitoring
control methods. that simplifies the detection of printing faults and
therefore helps to avoid waste.
Process cyan One of the four ink colours used
in four-colour process printing. Like all process Programming To establish such things as type
inks, this ink must be transparent. This will allow styles, point sizes, spacing, etc in a computer
for the blending of varying amounts of each application.
of the process colours to achieve the visual
appearance of the many thousands of shades Progressive colour bar See Control target.
capable of being printed by flexography.
Progressive proofs (Progs) Prints of indi-
Process inks A set of transparent inks for high vidual colour plates of a multi-coloured design
reproduction illustrations by halftone colour sep- or illustration, applied to colour separation
aration process. Colours are yellow, magenta, negatives or as individual plate cylinder print
cyan with or without black. See Process black, repeats from a plate proofer or a printing press,
Process cyan, Process magenta, Process yellow. to evaluate colour balance and printability.
Process magenta One of the four ink colours Progs See Progressive proofs.
used in four-colour process printing. Like all
process inks, this ink must be transparent. Proof A prototype of the printed job that is
This will allow for the blending of varying made from plates, film or electronic data for
amounts of each of the process colours, to in-house quality control and/or customer inspec-
achieve the visual appearance of the many tion and approval.
thousands of shades capable of being printed
by flexography. Proof, profiled contract A proof that is pro-
filed on a specific date using a specific colour
Process printing Printing from a series of two management system and is prepared based
or more halftone plates to produce intermediate upon profile provided by the proofing system’s
colours and shades. In the four-colour process, manufacturer.
yellow, magenta, cyan and black are used.
Proofing paper A white paper with a ma-
Process variables All parameters involved in chine glaze or finish, commonly 0.003” thick,
the actual printing process which can have any such as 50% super calendered paper, used
influence on the on the results. during the proofing and mounting process.

Proprietary alcohol – Raster display
Proprietary alcohol Denatured ethyl alcohol. generically rather than as a precise
optical term.
Pull down ink See Draw down.
Radiant energy Energy transfer, expressed in
Purification air systems System for the Joules or Watts/seconds (J=Wxsec).
cleaning of waste water by means of an
air-treatment. There are three possibilities: (1) Radiant intensity Power per unit of solid
Thermal (2) Biological (3) Recovery and wash- angle from a source, expressed in Watts/stera-
ing processes. dian (W/sr).
PVC See Polyvinyl chloride. Radiant power The rate of radiant energy or
total radiant power (W) emitted to all directions
Pyroxylin The name given to the more soluble by a source. The rate of energy transfer, ex-
types of cellulose nitrate and confined roughly pressed in Watts or Joules/second (W=J/sec).
to those containing less than 12.4% nitrogen.
Also called nitro-cellulose. Radiometer A device that senses irradiance
incident on its sensor element. Its construction
Q may incorporate either a thermal detector or a
photonic detector. The instantaneous signal out-
Quality Those characteristics of a product put will usually have a linear proportionality to
that allow manufacture at a given cost price radiant flux and will depend on incident wave-
relationship uniformity to meet parameters of length. The resulting characteristic response to
customer specifications and calibre of competi- irradiance versus wavelength is
tive performance. called responsivity.
Quality control The systematic planning, Radiation cured inks These inks consist of
measuring and controlling of the combination mixtures of low molecular weight polymers or
of personnel, materials and machines with the oligomers dissolved in low molecular weight
object of producing a product which will satisfy acrylic monomers. Typically they do not contain
the quality and profitability of the enterprise. organic solvent carriers. Electron beam or ultra-
violet light sources are used to cure these inks.
Quantum yield A measure of photon effi-
ciency of a photochemical reaction. The ratio of Radicals They are molecules, which have a
the number of chemical events per unit time to single electron in a molecule orbital, instead
the number of photons absorbed per unit time. It of one pair of electrons per orbital, which is
is a unitless measure. energetically compared with normal situations
much better. These radicals have no external
Quiet zone Print free zones or areas in a charge. The system is used in combination with
barcode that are used to separate the bars and UV curable inks.
spaces from any surrounding graphics or text;
used to help the scanner locate the symbol. Random copolymer polypropylene A
small percentage of ethylene added to HDPE
R while being polymerised.
Radiachromic Exhibiting a change of colour Range In a statistical sampling, the amount of

or optical density with exposure to light. A char- the values covered by the frequency distribution
acter of films whose colour or density change from the highest value to the lowest value.
can be correlated to exposure to UV energy.
Raster display A video display that puts a
Radiance Generally refers to the radiant output beam of light through a fixed pattern, building
of a source. It is radiant flux per unit area per an image with a matrix of points.
steradian (W/cm²sr). In UV curing, it is used

Raster graphics – Refractive index
Raster graphics The manner of storing and that has been recovered or diverted from solid
displaying data as horizontal rows of uniform waste and does not include materials or by-
grid or picture cells (pixels). Raster scan devices products generated from and commonly used
recreate or refresh a display screen 30 to 60 within, an original manufacturing process.
times a second in order to provide a clear
image for viewing. Raster display devices are Recycled medium Paperboard used in
generally faster and less expensive than vector forming the fluted portion of corrugated board,
tubes and are therefore gaining popularity for made from recycled fibre, such as old corru-
use with graphics systems. gated boxes.
Raster Image File Format (RIFF) A file Recycled paperboard A term that refers
format for paint style graphics, developed by to paperboard manufactured using recycled
Letraset USA. RIFF is an expanded version of the paper, usually old newspaper or waste paper
TIFF format used by many scanner makers. that has very little refining.
Raster Image Processor (RIP) A computer Recycling Recovering and reusing materials
device or program that translates digital infor- and objects in original or changed forms rather
mation in the page description language to the than discarding them as waste.
pattern of dots to be delivered by the input unit
of the system. Reducers Materials used to alter the body,
viscosity or colour strength of ink.
Raster scan The generation of an image on a
display screen made by refreshing the display Reel Roll of substrate to be printed or a roll of
area line by line. printed substrate.
Rasterising To convert images into a bitmap Reflection densitometry The practice of

(raster) form for display or printing. All output of characterising the amount of light absorption of
a display screen or printer is in raster format. materials by measuring reflection and calculat-
ing and reporting optical density.
RCF See Refractory ceramic fibres.
Reflective art Art that must be photographed
REACH A European Union regulation concern- by the light reflected from its surface.
ing the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation
and restriction of CHemicals. It came into force Reflective copy An opaque original that is
on 1 June 2007 and replaced a number of photographed with reflected light.
European Directives and Regulations with a
single system. Reflective process camera A camera that is
capable of reproducing an original image that
Reaction A chemical transformation or change, has been prepared on an opaque substrate.
the interaction of two or more substances to
form new substances. Reflector systems For UV curing by means of
UV light, there are various reflector systems. The
Reactive Potentially explosive or produces following systems are in use: (1) Parabolic (2)
toxic gases when mixed with water, air or other Eliptical (3) Combination (4) Reflectors which
incompatible materials. are permeable to IR (5) Water-cooled reflectors
(6) Water cooling of the housing.
Reclaimed material Material that is regener-
ated or processed to produce a useful product. Refractive index The relative measurement
Examples are recovering lead values from spent of the speed of light in a medium (the refractive
batteries and the regeneration of spent solvents. index of air is equal to one). The change in
refractive index from one material to another
Recovered material A material or by-product causes light to change direction at the material

Register – Resistance
interface. This property enables a glass prism are to be printed measured from the floor of
(refractive index of about 1.5) to separate white the printing forme.
light into its constituent colours.
Remedial action Action taken to put right
Register In printing, the alignment of two or or clean up something which has been done
more images when printed sequentially on top wrongly either by design or accident, eg the
of each other. The colour to colour relationship act of clearing a chemical spill or repairing a
in a printed image. The quality of the printed machine, etc.
image depends on the accuracy of the
registration. Repeat length and effects on the web
Repeat length is the unwind length of the print-
Register accuracy and control Register ing roll on the flat web. On flexible webs, it is
problems arise when the web has to go through generally shorter than the length of the printing
at least two format bound converting sections, unwind since print is done on a drawn and
then the register must be more or less manual or hence lengthened web.
automatically controlled by electronic systems.
Repeat The printing length (circumference of
Regular slotted container (RSC) A container the printing surface) of a plate cylinder, deter-
usually made from a single piece of corrugated mined by one revolution of the plate cylinder
board and shipped flat. All flaps are the same gear.
length and the outer flaps meet at the centre of
the box. RSCs are used more than any other Repro An expression used to describe the
style because they are more economical to preparation process necessary for the reproduc-
manufacture and use. tion of the original design.
Related colours Neighbouring colours in the Repro specifications Specific instructions

spectrum. for use as a guideline to be followed for the
successful reproduction of the original print job,
Relative density The density measurement knowledge of machinery to be used having
when the densitometer is calibrated on a been taken into consideration.
clear film substrate for transmission and on
an unprinted substrate for reflection. See also Re-sample To change the digital image’s
absolute density. resolution while keeping its pixel dimensions
constant.
Relative print contrast This is the contrast
between the actual printed highlights and the Resilience Abililty to return to the original
darkest areas in a printed job. shape and/or condition.
Release agents Solutions and sprays applied Resin A solid (or semi-solid) which can be dis-
to the back of photopolymer and rubber plates solved to a liquid state, suspended in a vehicle
to facilitate their removal from the sticky back, to make an ink or coating and which, upon
these should be used with great care by experi- drying, forms the solid part of printed film.
ence personnel.
Resistance Mostly qualifications for printing
Release liner In printing labels, the part of the ink, coating, lacquering, etc, there are several
substrate which carries the facestock through the such as: (1) Scratch resistance (2) Wrinkle
press and is ultimately discarded. resistance, dry and wet (water) (3) Adhesive
tape resistance (4) Rub resistance (5) Blocking
Relief Printing method using a raised image, resistance (6) Odour verifications (7) Heat seal
such as letterpress. ability (8) Lamination and lamination values (9)
Milk resistance (10) Butter resistance (11) Rice
Relief depth The height of the elements that resistance (12) Fat, oil and grease resistance

Resolution – Right reading
(13) Water resistance (14) Alkali, soap and Reversed out printing Text is normally
detergent resistance (15) Cheese, paraffin wax printed directly onto the substrate. The process
and spice resistance (16) Special further fast- of ‘reversing out’ is to print a solid block of
ness properties and resistance. colour whilst leaving the text to be read as
unprinted areas on the substrate, ie ‘white’ text
Resolution A measure of sharpness in a digital being read on a background of solid colour.
image, expressed as dots per inch (or millime-
tre), pixels per inch or lines per inch. The resolu- Re-wetting The process of refilling the anilox
tion must be preferably between 1,200 and cells with ink after they are emptied on the
3,600 dpi. 1,200 are sufficient for line images, surface of the printing plate.
solid areas and text. While screened images
require at least 2,400 dpi. Rewind After the substrate has been printed
with the desired images, it is taped to a shaft
Responsivity (spectral sensitivity) The and wound back into the original roll form for
response or sensitivity of any system in terms further processing.
of incident wavelength. In radiometry it is the
output of a device versus wavelength. RGB Red, green and blue, the primary additive
colours, which are the backbone of computer
Retail ready packaging (RRP) Secondary colour display monitors and pre-press colour
packaging (such as corrugated boxes) that has separation. They also are the complementary
been produced and printed so it can form part or secondary subtractive ink colours, which pro-
of the shop display of the product. Also known duce red by overprinting magenta and yellow,
as shelf ready packaging. green by trapping cyan and yellow and blue by
overprinting cyan and magenta.
Retained solvent Recycling of solvent by
means of a retaining system such as filtering, RH Relative humidity.
distillation, etc.
RHEM light Indicator A test strip, which indi-
Retarders Low or medium volatile solvents cates whether or not a light source is D50.
added to ink to slow the rate of evaporation.
Rheology (1) The science dealing with the
Reticulation A print fault where the ink runs deformation and flow of matter. (2) The ability
into lines possibly caused by over thinning the to flow or be deformed.
ink with solvent.
Rheometer Instrument used for the measure-
Retrofit The addition of a pollution control de- ment of force and velocity of currents.
vice or the modification of a piece of equipment
on an existing facility without making major Rhodamine reds A class of clean, blue shade
changes. organic red pigment, possessing good light
fastness and often called magenta in process
Re-use The act of using a material again for printing.
the same or some other beneficial purpose. See
also Recycling. RIFF See Raster image file format.
Reverse printing Printing on the underside of Right reading, emulsion side down
a transparent film. (RRED) The description of positive or negative
paper/film on which the text, if any, can be
Reverse To change the tonal orientation of an read as normal, ie from left to right.
image, making the darker elements lighter and
the lighter ones darker. Note that physically Right reading, emulsion-side up (RREU)
reversing the spatial orientation of an image is The description of positive or negative paper/
known as ‘flopping’ the image.

Ring crush – Scanner
film on which the text, if any, can not be read Rubber An elastomer material capable of
as normal, ie from left to right. recovering from large deformations quickly and
forcibly.
Ring crush A test to establish the amount of
force required to squash a narrow specimen of Rubylith A hand cut, red or orange, masking
paperboard that is inserted into a special holder film.
with a circular groove. This test establishes a
number corresponding to the on-edge stiffness Run chart A chart showing successive values
of materials and is applicable to linerboard and of a measured variable. The horizontal axis
corrugated medium. represents successive measurements, usually but
not always at equal time intervals. The vertical
RIP See Raster image processor. axis represents the value of the measurement.
Risk assessment A process to determine the Runnability The ability of a substrate to

increased risk from exposure to environmental perform on a printing press or on converting
pollutants, together with an estimate of the machinery without problems.
severity of the impact.
Running register The control on a flexograph-
Roll out Fluid ink printed on a substrate ic press, which accurately positions the printing
using a Meyer rod applicator also known as of each colour station in the direction of the
bardown. web travel, also called circumferential register
and longitudinal register.
Rosette patterns A pattern formed in printing
which is similar to a flower with regular petals. S
This seldom happens in flexography but is a
fault which has to be remedied at the pre-press Sans serif Letter form or type that does not
stage. contain the short cross line or spiral like termi-
nals at the ends of the stroke.
Rotary cutting The ultimate technology for cut-
ting is the flat operating die-cutting unit with an Satellite When applied to printing equip-
intermitting system for the transport of the web. ment this describes the printing units which are
However, for many companies, mainly labels grouped together around a central impression
and tags, this solution is too expensive. This is cylinder.
why a magnetic cylinder is preferred, where a
die-cutting steel plate can be mounted, which Satin finish A smooth finish of paper or paper-
is able to cut a certain volume under sufficient board, suggestive of satin.
pressure on the die. The (etched) plates are
relatively cheap. Saturation (1) The extreme degree of concen-
tration beyond which a solid can no longer be
Rough sketch An artist’s initial drawing of dissolved into a solvent or similarly, in which
a picture or design, often in colour, that can a substance can no longer be absorbed into
develop into comprehensive artwork. another medium. (2) The point beyond which
air can no longer absorb water vapour. (3)
Rounding error The process of allocating Purity of hue or the degree of hue as seen by
imaging-device dots to bar or space modules in the naked eye, ie colour saturation.
an uneven manner.
Scanner A digitising device using light sensitiv-
RRED See Right reading, emulsion side down. ity to translate a picture or typed text into a
pattern of dots which can be understood and
RREU See Right reading, emulsion side. stored by a computer. Some types of scanners
are flatbed, sheet fed, handheld, slide and
Rub test See Abrasion test. drum scanners.

Scatter diagram – Security inks
Scatter diagram A graph used to show the Screen sizes Designated by the number of
correlation between two measurements or halftone dots in one linear inch of perpendicular
variables. The value of one variable is plotted or horizontal ruling.
against the value of the second. Values plotted
and failing in a straight line indicate a correla- Screen tint See Halftone tint.
tion, whereas values plotted randomly or scat-
tered in the graph indicate no correlation. Screen width The number of lines per cm or
per inch, counted in the direction of the printing.
Score To make an impression or a partial cut
in a material to facilitate its bending, creasing, Scribe lines The fine lines on the surface of the
folding or tearing. plate cylinder in an evenly spaced horizontal
and vertical position to aid mounting of rubber
Score cut To make a cut by rotating a pressure plates accurately. Centre lines or other position-
loaded blade against a smooth, hard backup ing guidelines applied to the non-printing areas
surface. of a rubber printing plate to facilitate mounting
on a cylinder.
Scratch boards Plain, white coated boards,
which may be covered with India ink or some Scrubber An air pollution cleaning device that
other black coating, to ‘draw’ a scratch board uses a spray of water, reactant or a dry process
tool is used to scratch through the ink, exposing to trap pollutants in emissions.
white lines or areas.
Scuff (1) The action of rubbing against with
Scratch resistance The matter of resistance applied pressure. (2) The damage which has
of a certain substrate, coating or lacquering of occurred from rubbing.
ink layer can or must have against accidental or
deliberate scratching. Sealing solvent A method of adhering
packaging materials which depends on the use
Scratches Ink that is removed by a stationary of small amounts of a volatile organic liquid to
object in contact with the web. See also soften the coating or surface of the material to
Dragging. the point where the materials will adhere when
the solvent evaporates.
Screen angle The angle of the rows of dots in
a halftone. Seamless Expression used for an endless
design or an endless printing forme. The barrier
Screening Also called screen frequency or res- such as a sleeve, sheet or any other also can be
olution, indicates the number of lines of screen seamless.
per unit of length. The greater this is, the more
detailed the picture. The type of printing process Secant modular A measure of stiffness used
and label substrate determine the screening that for polymeric films.
can be used during the print process.
Secondary colours Those obtained by mixing
Screen printing In flexo, refers to any tone any two of the primary colours in equal propor-
printing work. tions. Subtractive secondary colours are red,
green and blue. Additive secondary colours are
Screen resolution (1) A measurement of the cyan, magenta and yellow.
number of colours that can be displayed on a
monitor, such as 8 bit (256) or 16 bit (63,536). Secondary packaging Second level of pack-
(2) The number of horizontal and vertical lines aging designed to contain primary packaging.
on a raster display.
Security inks These have special properties
Screen ruling The number of lines per inch in for use on valuable papers, bank notes, etc. The
a halftone.

Semi-chemical medium – Shoulder
inks have high specifications and a strong resist- Shadows The darkest area of a reproduction.
ance to most problems.
Shafts Mainly used as axles for winding and
Semi-chemical medium A corrugated unwinding reels
medium made from furnish which is 75% or
more of virgin wood pulp produced by a semi- Sharpen (1) To decrease in colour strength, as
chemical process. when halftone dots are made smaller; opposite
of dot gain. (2) To bring out the detail in an
Separations A set of three or four continuous image by enhancing the edges.
tone or halftone photographic films made pho-
tographically or electronically from an original Shear The relative movement of adjacent layers
subject. Each film represents one of the printer in a liquid or plastic during flow.
colours abstracted and used to make printing
plates in colour process printing. Shear thickening See Dilutant.
Serif The short cross line or spiral-like termi- Shear thinning See Thixotropic.
nals at the ends of the stroke of Roman style
typeface. Sheeter (1) A unit on press that converts forms
into smaller sheets. (2) A specific web press
Serigraph A colour print made by the silk delivery unit that cuts the printed web into
screen process, especially when printed by the individual sheets. (3) A separate device used in
artist. screen printing to cut cloth or other substrates
into sheets.
Servo-drive A servo mechanism, shortened
to servo, is an automatic device that uses Sheet fed Printing machine unable to print
error-sensing negative feedback to correct the from a web but uses flat sheets. Usually used for
performance of the press and is defined by its corrugated post-print.
function.
Shelf life The length of time that a container
Set The strain remaining after complete release or a material in a container, will remain in an
of a load, producing the deformation in rubber. acceptable condition under specified conditions
of storage.
Set off An unintended transfer of an ink or
a coating from the surface of one sheet to the Shell cup A device to measure viscosity. See
back of another sheet. also Efflux cup.
Set up The process or processes that take place Shellac An alcohol soluble, natural resin that
when the printer changes from one production used to be widely used in flexo inks.
order to the next. Often includes the changing
of ink, printing plates, metering system and sub- Shore A The A type gauge on a scale from
strate, as well as any inline finishing equipment. zero (softest) to 100 (hardest), durometer
measurement of photopolymer plates. Shore D
SG See Specific gravity. is used for harder products.
Shade (1) A colour produced by adding black Shore D The O type gauge, on a scale from
to a pigment or dye, therefore darkening it, zero (softest) to 100 (hardest). Shore A is used
opposite of tint. (2) In ink manufacture, a com- for soft, resilient compounds.
monly used synonym for hue.
Shoulder The area from the floor of a pho-
Shading The addition of a colour, shade or topolymer printing forme to the edge of the dot,
tone to suggest three-dimensional shadow or line or block. The shoulder can be steeper with
diminished light in a picture or design. big elements but must be wider with small ones.

Show through – Slip sheet
The relief depth also has an influence. Skip out Poor or no ink transfer onto the sub-
strate, evident as a partial image or a missing
Show through An undesirable condition portion of it, possibly caused by low areas of
when the print on the reverse side of a sheet the plate.
can be seen through the obverse side of the
sheet under normal lighting conditions. Skips Missing print or missing dots, often
caused by plate bounce, gear chatter or poorly
Shrinkage Plastic substrates shrink as a result set impression.
of the heat during the drying process after print-
ing. Paper can also shrink due to drying out. SKU See stock keeping unit.
Care must be taken when drying substrates.
Slack edge This is a slackness in the tension of
Side guide See Edge guide. the web which can occur on the side edges or
even in the middle.
Side weld In bag making, it is the seal formed
by a hot knife cutting through two layers of a Sleeve Photopolymer printing sleeve, which
thermoplastic material such as polyethylene and can be put directly on an air cylinder or on a
sealing that edge. mounting sleeve, depending on the printing
length necessary.
Sidelay In web printing, the lateral placement
of a substrate as it travels through the printing Sleeve, air cylinder for sleeves Specially
unit and subsequent inline devices. See also prepared printing cylinder or base for anilox
Edge guide. roller that is able to adapt a sleeve and carry it.
Sigma See Standard deviation. Sleeve, hard coat Hard surface coated sleeve
for use together with foam tapes.
Silver recovery The process of reclaiming
silver from silver rich solutions such as fixers and Sleeve, soft coat Sleeve with foam coating
low flow washes. for use together with thin plates.
Silver rich solution A solution containing Sleeve, standard or base. Sleeve made
sufficient silver that cost-effective recovery could for rubber covering or for use as a mounting
be done either on-site or off-site. Silver rich solu- sleeve.
tions include fixers and low flow wash.
Sleeve, tacky light Sleeve that is able to
Single facer The part of corrugators, which mount plates directly on the surface. Some
takes a roll of liner board and medium and systems have a flexible surface, produced from
combines them into a single face board. The a special photopolymer.
corrugating rolls in the single facer form the me-
dium into flutes, then adheres the fluted medium Sleeve, taper lock Sleeves for the conical
to the liner board with adhesive applied to the system without compressed air for mounting.
flute tips.
Slip compound An ink additive which imparts
Sizing The addition of materials to a paper lubricating qualities to the dried ink film.
making furnish or the application of materials to
the surface of paper and paperboard in order Slip film A thin film remaining on the surface
to provide resistance to liquid penetration. of sheet photopolymer after the removal of the
cover sheet to prevent adhesion of the polymer
Skeleton black A black and white printer that to the plate making negative during exposure.
prints only the middle tone to shadow portion of
the grey scale. Slip sheet A material between sheets of film,
foil, paper, board, etc. to prevent blocking by

Slit – Spectral data
keeping them separate from one another. It Solids content The percentage of non-volatile
facilitates removal of sheets. matter of which a compound or mixture is com-
posed, based on weight of the entire mixture.
Slit To cut rolls of stock to specified widths.
Either rotary or stationary knives or blades are Soluble Natural or synthetic products used for
used with mechanical unwinding and rewinding ink, which can be made soluble by means of
devices. adding an alcoholic product or water.
Slitter A machine to cut roll stock in the long Solvent A substance that is liquid in standard
direction. Three types are widely used: razor conditions and is used to dissolve or dilute
blade slitter, shear slitter and score cutter another substance. This term includes but is not
limited to organic materials used as dissolv-
Slotter A slotter is a part of a corrugated sheet ers, viscosity reducers, degreasers or clean-
printing machine. It makes the creases, the slots ing agents. Water is considered the universal
and the glue lap of the boxes. solvent.
Sludge Any solid, semi solid or liquid waste Solvent coating A thin layer or covering
generated from a municipal, commercial or applied in liquid form, which dries by evapora-
industrial waste water treatment plant, water tion.
supply treatment plant or air pollution control
facility, exclusive of the treated effluent from a Solvent retention Residue, which may be left
waste water treatment plant. on the web from the solvent or particles from
the solvent after the drying procedure and the
Slug A rubber plate section, usually type, used rewinding.
as an insert.
Source reduction The design, manufacture,
Slur A condition caused by slippage at the mo- purchase or use of materials (ie products and
ment of impression between substrate and plate. packaging) to reduce the amount or toxicity of
garbage generated.
SML Specific Migration Limit for plastic materi-
als for individual authorised substances fixed on Source separation Separating waste materi-
the basis of a toxicological evaluation. als such as paper, metal and glass by type
at the point of discard so that they can be
Soap resistance The relative ability of an ink recycled.
to withstand the action of detergent agents in
soap, to be distinguished from alkali resistance. SOx See Sulphur dioxide.
Softening point The temperature at which Specific gravity (SG) The ratio of the weight
plastic material will start to deform without an of an object to the weight of an equal volume of
externally applied load. water at the same specified temperature.
Solid fibreboard A board intended and suit- Spectral absorbency Absorbency described
able for the manufacture of fibreboard packing as a function of wavelength.
cases and drums. It may be pasted or unpasted
and often incorporates a lining of kraft or other Spectral curve A graphic plot indicating the
strong furnish. amount of light energy reflected, emitted or
transmitted by an object for each wavelength in
Solid waste management system Any dis- the visible spectrum.
posal or resource recovery system, programme
or facility for conservation or any facility for the Spectral data The data used to plot the
treatment of solid waste. spectral curve.

Spectral energy – Standard deviation
Spectral energy distribution This is the used and, as a result of contamination, can
transportation of the measured energy+. no longer serve the purpose for which it was
produced without first processing it.
Spectral irradiance Irradiance at a given
wavelength per unit area per unit wavelength in- Spitting See Flying, Misting.
terval. Express in W/cm²/nm. Usually measure
with a spectroradiometer. Splashing When ink is thrown off the press by
the inking rollers.
Spectral output The radiant output of a lamp
versus wavelength. It is displayed in a variety of Splice The joining of the ends of rolled material
ways but commonly a graph or chart of output to form a continuous web.
watts plotted against wavelength. The appear-
ance of the plot will vary dramatically depend- Splicing table Located after the tension roller
ing on the wavelength resolution used. A tech- and makes it simple to stick the end of one
nique of normalising is to integrate energy over substrate web to the beginning of the new reel
10 nanometre bands to reduce the difficulty of of substrate
quantifying the effects of line emission spectra.
Spontaneous combustible A material that
Spectral response In an instrument such ignites as a result of retained heat from process-
as densitometer, it is the measure of its signal ing or that will oxidise to generate heat and
during exposure to the radiation of a constant ignite or that absorbs moisture to generate heat
power level and varying wavelength. See also and ignite.
Densitometer response.
Spot colour See Line colour.
Spectrophotometer A photoelectric device
for measuring the relative intensity of wave- Spread The enlargement of a printed image
lengths in the visible spectrum. Usually the from the plate film to the printing plate or the
intensity is measured in 10 or 20 nm increments printed image. See Dot gain.
from 380 to 740 nm.
Sprocket The line of holes at each side of a
Spectrophotometric curve The graph continuous form to feed it through the output
produced by a spectrophotometer showing the printer devices.
reflectance of transmittance of a sample at dif-
ferent wavelengths. Stable overlays A transparent sheet of mate-
rial used as part of the finished art that will not
Spectroradiometer An instrument that stretch or shrink.
combines the functions of a radiometer and a
monochromator to measure irradiance in finely Stack-type printing machinery or stack
divided wavelength bands. press Flexographic printing machinery with
printing decks which are built on top of each
Spectrum The series of colour bands diffracted other, either on one side or on both sides of the
and arranged in the order of their respective printing stand, maximum eight colours, each
wavelengths by passing white light through a with its own impression cylinder.
diffracting medium, shading continuously from
red (the longest wavelength visible) to violet (the Staining When two different coloured inks
shortest wavelength visible). touch or overlap each other, the result is a third
colour or stain.
Specular highlight A small, clear area in a
tone field indicative of high gloss reflection or Standard deviation A statistical measure-
sparkle. ment of the deviation of a value from its mean
or average value also called sigma.
Spent material Any material that has been

Starvation – Subtractive primaries
Starvation A print defect apparent as voids modulation (FM) screening.
or light shades of the intended colour being
printed, it is caused by either poor anilox cell Stock Paper or other material to be printed, ie
re-wetting by trapped air in the chambered doc- substrate.
tor blade system and/or ink balance problems.
Stock keeping unit (SKU) An individual
Stat A thermal proof or copy of final artwork product line and size variant.
before making platemaking film. See Photostat.
Storage life See Shelf life.
Static closed chamber doctor blade
systems These are closed systems consisting Strength The colour intensity of (flexographic)
of a positive and a negative doctor blade, ink.
with closed sides. The ink is pumped with low
pressure into the chamber and doctored into Stretch Extension of web materials under
the cells of the anilox roller. See also Dynamic tension. The elongation of a design in an elasto-
closed chamber doctor blade systems. meric relief printing plate when mounted around
a cylinder.
Static Electricity contained in or produced by
stationary charges. With reference to films, Stretch/shrink factors Calculations of di-
static causes them to cling to one another or to mensional change that occur in plate moulding
other insulating surfaces. and in all plate mounting when a flat plate is
applied to the curve of the plate cylinder.
Static balance Rotating objects have a certain
balance that can be measured by a micrometer Striations A printing defect characterised by
measuring device. See TIR. light and dark streaks parallel to the direction
through the press.
Static exposure Exposure to a constant irradi-
ance for a controlled period of time. Contrast Strike through The penetration of ink through
with dynamic exposure. the substrate visible from the reverse side.
Statutes The acts or amendments (laws) that Stringiness The property of an ink to draw
give authority to regulation. into filaments or threads.
Step and repeat Positioning and exposing Stripping Job assembly where all the elements
multiple complete images on film in preparation for the job are brought together to produce the
for platemaking. final output files. The term is derived from the
traditional process where separate film nega-
Sticky back See platemounting tape. tives were manually assembled onto a carrier
sheet.
Still bottom Solid or sludge residue or by-
product of a distillation process, such as solvent Sublimation The process in chemistry whereby
recycling. a solid is volatilised by heat and then converted
back into a solid without passing through a
Stippling Artwork in which a series of miscel- liquid phase.
laneous and usually random dots are used
instead of lines. Subliminal dyes Dyes that exhibit sublima-
tion. See sublimation.
Stochastic screening An alternative to con-
ventional halftone screening by placing same Substrate The material that is printed upon, eg
size microdots (typically 12 to 30 microns di- film, paper, paperboard, etc.
ameter) in a computer controlled random order
within a given area. Also known as frequency Subtractive primaries The colours yellow,

Sulphur dioxide – Tension control roller
magenta and cyan. These colours are the result Tack The resistance between two surfaces when
of subtracting one of the additive primaries (red, pulled apart.
green, blue) from white light. Yellow subtracts
blue, magenta subtracts green, cyan subtracts Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) A file
red. Combining all three in a subtractive pro- format for graphics developed by Aldus,
cess, such as ink on paper, yields black. Adobe and Apple that is particularly suited for
representing scanned images and other large
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) A criteria air pollutant bitmaps. The original TIFF saved only black and
that is a gas produced from burning coal. white images in uncompressed forms. Newer
versions support colour and compression. TIFF is
Surface energy A force existing at various a neutral format designed for compatibility with
solid, liquid and gas interfaces which tends to both Mac and Windows applications.
bring the contained volume into a form having
the least superficial area. Surface energy units Tagged RGB An RGB file which includes the
are expressed in dynes/cm. The flexographic image data and ICC profile of the input device
printing system must have an up-going surface which generated the file.
tension with min 2 mN/m and never less than
1 mN/m for successful printing. If the substrate Taint The affect of decay or corruption of a
has 38 mN/m, then the printing forme should specific formula, the spoiling of any object.
have something like 36 mN/m, the anilox roller
34 mN/m and the ink 32 mN/m. Be aware, Tape See Platemounting tape.
that solvent washable printing formes have a
much different surface tension than water wash- Taper To become gradually smaller as the op-
able formes. posite end of an object is reached or gradually
diminish.
Surface print Conventional flexo printing
resulting with a right reading image on the top Tearing bond A type of bond in which it is
surface of the web. See also Reverse print. necessary to tear fibres of one of the other
adhered sheets in order to separate them, while
Surface tension See Surface energy. at the same time there is no failure in adhesion
or cohesion of the adhesive.
Surfactant This is a surface active agent, a
substance added to a liquid to alter those of its Telescoping Transverse slippage of successive
properties which depend on its surface tension. winds of a roll of material, so that the edge
becomes conical rather than flat.
Swatch A small piece of material cut for a
sample. Temporary total enclosure (TTE) A tem-
porary enclosure that completely surrounds an
Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles emission source such that all VOC emissions
in Contact with Food. Legislation introduced in can be measured during capture efficiency
Switzerland in 2005, which was later amended testing. Used for testing only, in lieu of heaving
to include provisions relating to packaging inks. source(s) in a permanent total enclosure.
Synthetic minor Source with limited potential Tensile strength The maximum load in tension
to emit below major source thresholds by that a material can withstand without failure.
having federal enforceable limitations that are
approved by a regulatory agency. Tension control The mechanical control of
unwinding, processing and rewinding paper,
T film, foil and other rolled materials.
Tachometer Generally in flexography a device Tension control roller Allows the unwinding
for measuring the speed of the web. station to compensate for any imbalance that

Tertiary colours – Tracking
can be caused by inconsistent reel any given area. (2) Colours of a lighter value
winding tension. obtained by adding white to the basic colour,
opposite of shade.
Tertiary colours Those obtained by mixing
two secondary colours. TIR See Total indicated run out.
Test forme A printing forme containing a num- Titanium dioxide (TiO2) A filler or pigment
ber of test elements which are able to measure made from titanium ores, which has great opac-
the capabilities of many parameters from the ity and brightening properties and is of minute
machine involved, the substrate used and other particle size.
tools.
Tonal range See Dynamic range.
Thermal conductivity The physical property
of a material relating to its ability to conduct Tonal value See Dot area.
thermal or heat energy.
Tone (1) A colour quality or value. (2) A tint
Thermal imaging The process of imaging a or shade of colour (3) A predominant hue in a
plate using heat as the developing agent. nearly neutral value.
Thermoformability Ability of a plastic film Tone compensation Made in pre-press after

to make a special form by means of heat and scanning to improve picture quality.
sometimes pressure.
Tone reproduction The relative density of
Thermoplastic Capable of being softened by every reproduced tone of the corresponding
heat. original density.
Thermoset A material that hardens when Tone transfer The scanner responsible for
heated but does not soften when reheated. colour separation has electronic possibilities
for manipulation of colours so that tone can be
Thinners Liquids, solvents and/or dilutents moved from one area to another.
added to ink for dilution or thinning.
Toner A dispersion of highly concentrated pig-
Thixotropic When viscosity decreases with ment or dye, used to manufacturer strengthen or
agitation and returns to its original value when modify the colour of an ink.
agitation ceases; also called false body.
Total indicated run out (TIR) A measurement
Thread The initial passage of a web between of the out of trueness of a cylindrical surface.
the various rollers or other parts of a machine.
Total suspended solids (TSS) A measure of
Thumbnail A rough pencil drawing of a con- the turgidity of water.
cept for a finished piece of artwork to convey
the positioning of relevant elements. Toxic Capable of causing severe illness,
poisoning, birth defects, disease or death when
Thyratron tube A vacuum tube that rectifies ingested by a living organism.
or changes alternating current to direct current.
Toxicity characteristic waste Wastes that
TIFF See Tagged Image File Format. release toxic metals, pesticides or volatile
Tinctorial strength See Colours strength. organic chemicals above specified limits under
a test procedure called the toxicity characteristic
Tint (1) A means of making a given colour leaching procedure.
appear lighter in value by printing it in a dot
or line pattern of less than 100% coverage in Tracking A print defect where an unwanted

Trademark – UV curing
image appears, often as a dark line in a light or R, G, 8 or C, M, Y) or three attributes (such as
solid print area. Tracking always occurs when lightness, chroma and hue).
two print stations, which are often next to each
other, interact. Truncation The process whereby a barcode is
compressed in the height dimension beyond the
Trademark A distinctive name, symbol or allowable height and width specification.
figure adopted by a manufacturer or other firm
to identify the company and/or its products. Tunnel The compartment through which the
web passes for final drying after printing.
Transfer roller A plain roller rotating in
contact with another plain roller, transferring Turning bars and units An arrangement of
variable amounts of ink in an inking system. stationary bars on a flexo press which guide
the web in such a manner that it is turned front
Transmission densitometry The practice of to back and will be printed on the reverse side
characterising the light absorption of materials by the printing units located subsequent to the
by measuring transmission and calculating and turning bars.
reporting optical density.
Twin wire A two ply paper or board made on
Transparency The photographic positive a paper machine with duplicated wire parts.
on a clear or transparent support, viewed by In this way two sheets of the same composition
transmitted light. are formed and combined, wire side to wire
side, so that the finished sheet has two identical
Transparent inks Inks which do not have printing surfaces.
hiding power (opacity), permitting light to pass
through and selectively absorb light of specific Two roller system The inking system com-
wavelengths, essential to process printing. monly employed in flexographic presses,
consisting of a fountain roll running in an ink
Trapping The overlapping of various colours pan and contacting the engraved anilox roller.
in a design to prevent them separating and not The two as a unit meter the ink being transferred
touching as a result of registration variables to the printing plates.
during printing. The condition of printing ink on
ink or superimposing one colour on another in Typeface Variation of a font such as regular,
which the first down ink film is sufficiently dry italic, bold, condensed, extended etc.
that when the next is printed over it, optimum
ink transfer is achieved. U
Trihelical engraving Anilox roller with a UCA See Under colour addition.
screen engraved as a continuous line around
the roller at various angles from 30° to 60°. UCR See Under colour removal.
Trim rewind systems An essential part of ug/L Micrograms per litre.

reciprocating and rotary cutting systems, de-
signed to remove the trimmed substrate around Ultra high density Refers to polyethylene
the cut self-adhesive label from the substrate resin with density above 0.965 g/cc.
paper inline directly after the cutting operation
and to wind it on a spindle that is supported Ultraviolet (UV) curing Conversion of wet
on side. coating or printing ink film to a solid film by
the use of ultraviolet light. Commonly called
Tristimulus The magnitudes of three standard UV light, UV-A has a wavelength band width of
stimuli needed to match a given sample of light. 320 to 400 nanometres (for imaging photopoly-
A method for communicating or generating a mer), UV-B has a wavelength bandwidth of 280
colour using three stimuli (colourants such as to 320 nanometres (for special purposes), and

UV LED curing – Video process camera
UV-C has a wavelength bandwidth of 180 to UV See Ultraviolet.
280 nanometres (for finishing photopolymer).
UV activates the photoinitiator in photo-curable UV lamp Tubular UV lamps are commonly
polymers. described by their operating power by watts
per inch or watts per centimetre. This is derived
Ultraviolet (UV) LED curing A technique that simply from the electrical power input divided
utilises energy output from light emitting diodes by the effective length of the bulb.
(LEDs) in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum to treat
inks, coatings, adhesives and other UV curable V
materials. UV LED lights have a narrow spectral
output centred on a specific wavelength, +/- Vacuum forming The process of heating a
5nm. LEDs are a solid state device and can be plastic until it is soft, placing it over a mould
built with various wavelength diodes, including and then creating the form by means of a
but not limited to 395 nm, 365 nm, 385 nm, vacuum.
405 nm, and 410 nm, unlike broad spectrum of
wavelength range output by Hg-based lamps. Vacuum frame In plate making, a vacuum
device for holding copy and reproduction mate-
Unbalance The uneven distribution of weight rial in contact during exposure.
or forces in a roll. There are two types of unbal-
ance: static and dynamic. Vapour capture system Any combination of
hoods and/or ventilation systems that capture
Unbleached A term applied to paper or pulp, or contain organic vapours so that they may be
which has not been treated with bleaching directed to an abatement or recovery device.
agents.
Vapour phase inhibitor (VPI) See Volatile
Under colour addition (UCA) A pre-press corrosion inhibitor.
method of intensifying dark, neutral grey areas
in process colour reproduction by selectively in- Varnish The binder component of an ink, also
creasing cyan, magenta and yellow dot areas. resin.
Under colour removal (UCR) The balanced Vector A line between two points. Vectors
reduction of cyan, magenta and yellow in an are created and displayed on the screen with
image’s shadow areas. drawing software. Vector drawings can be
processed as a series of points and connections
Undercut Engraving, where sidewall areas that are compact for a computer to store and
have been etched under the printing surface. manipulate.
Undistorted artwork Artwork that has been Vector display A cathode ray tube (CRT) that
prepared without compensation for the distor- moves the electron beam randomly to trace fig-
tion that takes place after the printing plate has ures on the colour monitor screen, as compared
been mounted on the printing cylinder with raster display.
Universal Product Code (UPC) A 12 or Vehicles The liquid components of a printing

eight digit code number that identifies a wide ink including the binders or adhesives and
range of products, printed on packages as the modifiers.
UPC barcode symbol which can be read elec-
tronically by a scanner at retail store checkout Vellum High quality translucent paper used
counters. for tracing.
Unwind Device for unwinding the substrate Vertical process camera A large, vertical
from the reel to the printing machine adjusting camera used for making enlargements or
for correct web tension. reductions on photographic film or paper.

Video web inspection systems – Viscometer
Video web inspection systems available Vinyl plastics Plastics based on resins made
in a wide range of different configurations with from vinyl monomers, except those specifically
sophisticated features based on a stroboscopic covered by other classifications such as acrylic
camera/screen system for close checking of and styrene plastics. Typical vinyl plastics are
the quality of the print motif and registration polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl
accuracy. Inspection systems will analyse the alcohol, polyvinyl butyric, copolymers of vinyl
web and offer the operator options to correct monomers and unsaturated compounds.
the fault itemised.
Virgin fibre Paper or board pulp fibre being
Vignette A halftone image in which the back- used for the first time as opposed to recycled or
ground gradually fades away until it blends secondary fibre.
into the unprinted substrate or a solid print, also
called ‘fade’. The term is occasionally used to Viscometer An instrument used to measure the
indicate a conventional halftone. viscosity of ink, varnish or other solution. It can
be manually or automatically mechanical, either
Viewer scale A table with natural light hav- analogue or digital.
ing at least 5000 or 7200°K, positioned 100
cm (40”) above the inspection table which is Viscometer, dip sensor type This is usually a
usually angled like a writing table to avoid over rotating dip sensor, which is placed vertically
influence of the light. into the ink or in the bypass.
Viewing booth A location where the equip- Viscometer, falling ball type This is a
ment is positioned for web inspection. relatively old principle, by which a falling ball is
installed in a bypass pipe, which is filled by the
Vinyl Generic term for any of the vinyl resins or pumping stream. The measurement takes place
for film or other products made from them. in cycles (2 or 3 times a minute).
MBS®-6
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Viscometer – Web sections
Viscometer, inline rotation sensor The flutes from the uneven surface of the corrugated
sensor is integrated in the main pumping stream board caused by the liner as it dips lower
directly after the pump, as an inline measure- where there is no flute and higher where there
ment. It works on a closed chamber, where the is a flute.
measuring body rotates driven by a
magnetic clutch. Washout The actual washing out of the ex-
posed photopolymer printing formes.
Viscometer, integrated system with press
management Viscosity meter incorporated Waste stream The total flow of solid waste
within the total print management system. from homes, businesses, institutions and manu-
facturing plants that are recycled, burned or
Viscometer, ultrasonic The viscosity is disposed of in landfills or any segment thereof.
calculated by means of ultrasonic waves passed
through the liquid. Water-based ink An alternative to solvent-
based inks, these contain a vehicle whose
Viscosity A measure of a fluid’s resistance to binder is water soluble or water dispersible.
flow, which influences the amount of ink (colour)
printed. Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR)
The actual rate of water vapour transmission
Viscosity regulation This reduces the ma- used to compare water vapour barriers; for-
chine operator’s workload by measuring and merly called moisture vapour transmission rate.
regulating the viscosity and condition of the ink
automatically. Watermark A translucent mark made in paper
while it is still wet for purposes of identification.
Visual match Naked eye judgement of a
print. Wavelength A fundamental description of
electromagnetic energy including light. It is
Vivacity Brilliance. the distance between corresponding points of
a propagated wave. It is the velocity of light
Void hickey A spot appearing as an inkless divided by equivalent frequency of oscillation
hole in a printed image. associated with a photon. UV wavelengths are
currently measured in nanometres (nm).
Volatile Easily passing from a liquid into a gas-
eous state; subject to rapid evaporation; having Web edge control unit This is generally
a high vapour pressure at room temperature. a standard feature on inline machines and
operates electronically. This unit guarantees
Volatile corrosion inhibitor A chemical, that the web of substrate follows a straight path
which slowly gives off a vapour that reduces or throughout the printing and processing sections
inhibits corrosion. It is usually applied to paper of the line.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) Any Web fed Automatic feeding system whereby
organic compound that evaporates readily into substrates or carriers are printed on a continu-
the atmosphere, examples include isopropyl ous roll.
alcohol and toluene.
Web guide The device, which keeps the web
Vulcanisation A curing process to change the travelling a true path through the press.
physical properties of rubber.
Web inspection and monitoring See Video
W inspection.
Wash boarding A print fault in corrugated, Web sections The path of a web through a
characterised by darker lines appearing at the reel fed rotary printing machine can be divided

Web temperature – White light
into individual web guidance sections. These permit precise regulation of the web tension
sections are limited by the following tensioning that is required for in register printing. This
units that are, as a rule, driven externally: (1) system, which can be adapted to the printing
The unwinding area from the unwinding unit to substrate being processed in each individual
the first infeed point. (2) The infeed section from case (substrate thickness, stretching properties)
the first infeed point to the first printing unit. (3) is supported and regulated in more sophisti-
The processing area from the first to the last cated systems by an additional transducer roller
printing unit, on multiple cylinder machines this that measures the web-tension and corrects the
section is divided up into several similar web settings whenever needed.
guidance sections from printing unit to the next,
that each extend from one printing unit to the Web The paper, foil, film or other flexible
next from web-guidance point of view. (4) The material, from a roll, as it moves through the
discharge area from the last printing unit to the machine in the process of being formed or in
final discharge point, this is frequently the chill- the process of being converted, printed, etc.
ing cylinder(s) that therefore carry out something
of a double function. (5) The rewinding area Web/web and web/cylinder comparison
from the final discharge point (chilling cylinder) If two optically measurable scanning marks are
to the winding unit. If there is an inline slitting compared, the operation is called web/web
unit involved, there is an extra section comparison. If an optical mark is compared
to consider. with a cylinder mark, the operation is called
web/cylinder comparison.
Web temperature The temperature of the
web in the oven as differentiated from the oven Wet on wet Describes the printing of multiple
temperature. colours onto a substrate before the previously
printed colours have dried.
Web tension More or less manual or auto-
matic adjustable system to keep the tension of Wet strength A measure of the physical
the web inside the printing machine constant. strength properties of paper when saturated
This is necessary for (1) Ply-less threading, with water, ie wet tensile strength, wet
precisely on track on straight on the edges (2) bursting strength.
Exact register (3) Exact repeat. Hence there is
sometimes considerable expenditure for thread- Wetability See Wetting out.
ing in a press, (4) Many parts of this equipment
uniquely serve the threading, the achievable Wetting Surrounding the pigment particles with
printing quality is highly dependent on the web varnish during the ink making process. Pigments
guidance equipment. that wet out easily will, in general, grind more
easily, form better ink bodies and result in a
Web tension regulation systems (1) finer dispersion.
Single roller pressure roller. (2) The step based
tensioning unit with a fixed drive. Essentially it Wetting agent A chemical agent used to
determines the web’s transports. Its travelling overcome the reluctance of a liquid to coat the
speed depends on a nominal speed, which can surface of a dissimilar material by reducing
and should be set in advance. (3) Traction force surface tension of the liquid.
tensioning unit. (4) Individual drives used for
each tension unit. (5) Control or web Wetting out The ability of ink to lay down
guidance roller. smoothly and evenly on the substrate as op-
posed to laying down in beads on the surface.
Web tension system Consists of a clamp-
ing roller unit located after the reel unwinding White light Unfiltered sunlight or from a light
station and a pair of tensioning rollers directly source which has a composition of red, green
before the material rewinding station at the and blue light.
end of the printing machine. It is provided to

Whip – Zahn cup
Whip See Bounce. Xerography An imaging process in which a
negative image formed by a resinous powder
White opaque polyethylene (WHOPE, on an electrically charged plate is electrically
WHITE) A film frequently used for frozen food transferred to and thermally fixed as positive on
packaging and the like. a paper or other copying surface. Also called
electrophotography.
Whole effluent toxicity (WET) This test
measures the total toxic effect of discharges on Y
aquatic organisms.
YAG laser High power laser with an extreme
WHOPE See White opaque polyethylene. sharpness of the laser-spot, used for imaging
and anilox rollers.
Wicking The absorption of moisture into paper-
board through the raw edge. Yellow See Process yellow.
Wide web Printing machinery with a web YMC Yellow, magenta, cyan.
width above 1500 mm.
Yield (1) The amount of substrate that can be
Winder Equipment on a rotary flexographic covered with a given volume of liquid ink. (2)
printing machine to unwind or rewind the web. The number of square inches of film per pound
or product per mil.
Winder systems Winders can be manual,
semi-automatic and full automatic electronically Yield strength The value at which permanent
controlled. deformation takes place in an elastic material
under stress.
Winder with bearing rollers This is an el-
derly type of winder, where the rewinding web Z
roller is placed on two well beaded steel rollers
and the axe from the core can freely moved Zahn cup A device for measuring viscosity.
inside a slit upwards. See Efflux cup.
Winder with flying splices With this type of

unwinder and rewinder it is possible to unwind
and rewind a reel and change reels (cores) dur-
ing printing. Winding ‘on the fly’.
Woodfree A pulp or paper that contains no

mechanical wood pulp. In commercial practise
a small percentage of mechanical fibre is usu-
ally acceptable. It does no denote a paper or
pulp made from materials other than wood.
Wrinkling Frequent wrinkling of the web will

be seen when it passes through a printing ma-
chine. This is usually caused by an unlined web
guiding, tension differences left and right, etc.
X
X-Dimension The specified width of the nar-
row element in a barcode symbol.

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Packaging Printing

The Essential Handbook

Whitmar Publications Ltd

Published by Whitmar Publications Ltd Production assistant: Jamie Bristow

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system

Copies of this Handbook can be purchased at £20 +VAT

Views from the Flexographic Technical Associations 17– 30

A word from your suppliers 32 – 65

Dictionary of Printing Terms 67 –146

Roll History Report on Volume, Wear, Variance and Consistency

Date Examiner 1 2 3 4 5 = cm3/m2 Variance Capacity

1 Blackworth Court Tel: +44 (0) 1793-766-355

T he Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 9

The bar chart for the 30° channel is typical

Superb performance pushing the boundaries

Flexocure ANCORA - UV flexo inks & coatings

12 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

SERVO PRINT TECHNOLOGY > Full servo drive technology

> Integrated converting solution

> Reduced waste & single pass

W hether it is five, seven or ten

14 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

Keeping the box

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 15

Gecko Setting New Standards In Flexible Packaging

A well established brand in mainland Europe and

Gecko delivers outstanding product performance suited to all

Tel: 0115 986 0477 | Email: enquiries@stehlin.co.uk | www.stehlin.co.uk

the growth in the number of aging consumers,

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 17

18 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 19

20 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

3% per year. Corrugated board is the major printers with their

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 21

About ATEF Despite the current difficult economic situation

France The purpose of the association is to promote

22 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

the suppliers in flexography, including printing Flexography

The Russian label market in 2013 is estimated

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 23

24 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 25

Two major players in the packaging industry Sweden

26 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

Today SweFlex has 92 members, and the Benelux

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 27

28 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 29

30 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

The FlexoTech Awards is one of

Editorial: +44 (0)1892 542099

A sahi Photoproducts UK is a subsidiary of

AWP: The best of the best

34 The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 35

INTELLIGENT DESIGN. INTELLIGENT ECONOMICS.

The Essential Handbook for Flexography & Packaging Printing 37

WWW¾EXOCLEANNL\TEL \INFO ¾EXOCLEANNL