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M0 vs. M1 Measurement Modes: Why M1 Is Superior

During this time of COVID-19, I sat back in casual clothes and enjoyed attending FTA’s Virtual FORUM 2020. There were great topics that ranged from doctor blades, color management and expanded gamut (EG), to GRACoL and brand management. But it didn’t matter what the topic was—During what seemed like every Q&A session, inevitably somebody asked […]

Color Consistency in Prepress

Talk about color consistency! More often than not, discussion centers on process control in the pressroom. Still, considerations need to be accounted for in the stages leading up to the ink meeting the substrate: color separation styles and how to properly construct spot colors out of process builds. Correctly address those two topics and your […]

FQC/SWG Updates: Projects Moving Along Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

What a year 2020 has been so far! From travel restrictions to Virtual FORUM, we have adapted our approach to information gathering and sharing. FQC @ FORUM The FQC session at Virtual FORUM 2020—FQC: Exploring Technology & Defining Value in Packaging—was well received. Our two current projects, the Ink Temp Project and the White Ink […]

New Converted Barrier Solution Alternatives Are Sustainable, Inexpensive, Compliant & Accepted

Flexible packaging is currently experiencing a period of enforced transformation. The world’s biggest brand owners are committing to various sustainability pledges, examining how they package their products and evaluating functionality requirements seen as critical to their needs. As a result, megatrends have been born. Alternative solutions, developed through collaboration right across the value chain—including brand […]

Previewing Recent FFTA Rossini Scholarship Recipients’ Research & Project Reports

The 2020 recipients of the FFTA Rossini North America Flexographic Research Scholarship were announced at Virtual FORUM 2020. Cat Bromels of Clemson University is this year’s first-place recipient, and Alice Ish of California Polytechnic State University is the second-place recipient. The Research Bromels’ research is titled “Can the Differential Distortion of Postprint Corrugated Be Calculated?” […]

Optimize Ink & Substrate

Substrates and the substantial benefits they bring to highly specialized print processes, like flexography, are not to be ignored, taken for granted or otherwise dismissed. Optimizing ink to substrate is essential in successful printing. Great attributes of a substrate, particularly plastic packaging, merit mention: Plastic packaging plays a key role in food freshness and preservation, […]

Achieve Superior Results with Laser Anilox Cleaning

By now, nearly everyone in our industry has heard of laser anilox cleaning. Whether or not someone within your organization has conducted the appropriate due diligence into this great technology, there are a handful of widely accepted advantages. As noted in my Virtual FORUM 2020 presentation, those benefits include: sustainability, performance and cash savings—aka, bottom-line […]

Virtual FORUM 2020 Recap: Innovation and Technology Born from Frustration

The last day of Virtual FORUM 2020 kicked off with Innovation and Technology Born from Frustration. They May 6 session was chaired by Johnny Stamey of Daetwyler and Stuart Beeson of Sandon Global. Paul Teachout of PT Consultant Group spoke first. He explained that innovation has driven new technologies, and that these smart solutions allow […]