Flexo 411
Is it possible? Is it practical? Two questions dominated the panel discussion held under the heading Flexo 411. Subject matter ranged from expanded color gamut print to sustainability and on to color management, proofing and brand engagement.
Noal Dickinson, press technical supervisor, ABX Packaging admitted, “We have brought ECG to customers in the past. We want to be able to duplicate brand image.” For his part, Brad Turner, senior color manager, Sealed Air, noted, “We have 8.5 percent expanded gamut. It’s a big challenge getting brands on board filling up the press 24/7. Switching in and out, efficiencies evaporate quickly—7-color needs a lot of process control. Extra checks go hand-in-hand with ECG. Expanded designs can be very complex. Design can dictate ECG as the right fit.”
Nicole Ross, packaging print developer, Target, reported, “We have actually dialed some jobs back from 7-color to 4-color. ECG has its place. Where we use it is when we have printers who do it really well.”
On another subject, the growing influence of digital print in flexible packaging print, Turner observed, “Flexography has come so far in the last 10-15 years. What is still to come is high speed ink jet on wide web. No immediate threat there. It’s a spectrum of quality vs. speed.
His thoughts expressed, also held, “Color management is key with so many brand colors. If you proof it and send it to them, you have much better success. …Density does not help you at all with color. We roll out L*a*b*-based color matching for process colors. …FIRST does a great job of getting you set up in the right direction.”
Megan Burns, Berry Global, reminded fellow panelists and printer peers, “We’re all in this together.” Have discussions ahead of time. Communicate. We invite the customer in as an opportunity do to some training. We extend the invite to continue to build relationships, show them our facility and other products we make.”
Ross suggested that printers, “Engage the brand in your process. Get them in early. Understand their experience level. It will help you demonstrate the whys in your process. Help them understand why something failed or why something is working. The key is not to overwhelm them. They may or may not be technical experts. Give them bite-size pieces of information. Let them follow along the trail. Get them involved in FIRST and the FTA. Bring them here. Let them learn.”
Turning her remarks to the hot topic of the moment, she said, “Sustainability is impacting all elements of the organization. Everyone needs to be thinking about it. Make it part of your culture in small bits. A lot of times the people with the answer are the people on the floor doing the work.”
Elaborating on that point, Ross added, “Movement in Europe is dragging sustainability to a healthy level. None of us would be here today if we all weren’t striving to be better. Start off small. Work your way there. You will get there. Look at it as healthy competition.” And on a positive note, she explained, “We negotiate internally and with our printers and suppliers to come up with ideas that are going to be successful.”
Consumable Trends
Amy Golden, technical services manager, epac, also addressed sustainability in packaging. She pointed specifically to four main pillars of sustainability—biodegradable, compostable, recyclable/PCR and bio-based paper.
“Demand for sustainable packaging is on the rise,” Golden stressed. “Pressures from brand owners, consumes and legislators is pushing us toward a more sustainable option.” Her further observations held, “Circularity is becoming a critical concern.” She warned, “Compostable and biodegradable do not mean the same thing. Compostable may be biodegradable, but not the other way around. A recyclable approach to sustainability is becoming more and more popular.”
Nuts & Bolts
Zac Patterson, plate technician, TC Transcontinental probed a four-member panel to offer what he called, “A look into variables that exist and interrelationships between them.”
In the process, he encouraged the panelists, as well as the printers in the audience, to “Talk through the scenarios, challenges, and driving forces behind the best path to optimization.” Subjects started with press speed increases, then extended through plates and mounting tapes to ink laydown, barrier coatings and monolayer flexible substrates. Sustainable operation was also woven into the discussion.
Patterson admitted that as a printer, “You can get too close to a situation and not see the vision beyond the trees.” He emphasized the need to “Have the end-goal in mind. Communicate it—top down/bottom up to the entire team. Impact goes beyond the pressroom.”
Reiterating the point, “Relationships are so important,” Patterson concluded, “When assessing how to deal with new materials that you may have never worked with before, it comes down to properties and procedures. You can make life easier down the line.”
“While ink is a great place to start, there really are options to improve and optimize everywhere.”