In-house water washable flexo plate making.
The true benefits of having control over the work that you produce and deliver.
With the trends in the industry moving towards higher quality demands, reducing lead times and shorter print jobs; many flexo printers today want complete control over their production process. They continuously invest in new technologies and keep up with all the latest developments to ensure that they are always ahead of the competition. They not only want to provide consistent better quality when compared to offset or gravure, but also outperform digital printing with their quality and costs. Therefore, to become more cost-efficient, productive and to have a better control on the print quality, flexo printers are considering in-house plate making again.
In the past, flexo printers would outsource plate making to a trade shop. However, nowadays, they are investigating the advantages of making plates in-house. The most obvious reason for this is to have full control over the quality and to reduce the reaction time to pass press alterations. Additionally, in-house plate making allows the flexo printer to be flexible, empowering him/her to adapt or accept demands for a flexible production schedule. For flexo printers, looking at in-house plate making, the water washable plates seem to be a desirable choice as it reduces the environmental impact of their operation, are user-friendly and provide flexibility. Flexo printers don’t have to depend on third parties and can administer the quality and predict the outcome, perfectly balancing the costs with enhanced quality and productivity. The ROI analysis not only financially justifies the investment of in-house plate making, but the additional benefits like customer satisfaction, drives printers to make it an integral part of their company’s growth and evolution.
The processing time needed for Toyobo water washable flexo plate is only 45 minutes. This allows flexo printer to respond to last minute changes and reduce downtime due to replacement of broken and/or damaged plates. The time saved can be dedicated to producing a saleable product, influencing the profitability of the printer. Toyobo Cosmolight plates are thus cost and time efficient, and it reduces press downtime. These plates come in both analogue and digital versions, so that companies that work with films, dry film systems or a CDi can also take advantage of these benefits. After all, wasted time cannot be recycled! Toyobo’s water washable flexographic printing plates are not just sustainable and affordable, but it also delivers reproducible and consistent print quality, reduces costs, waste and increases productivity.
To learn more about the benefits of Toyobo’s Cosmolight water washable flexo plates or to calculate your ROI, please schedule an appointment: