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Flint Group finds easy way to create flat top dots

Flat top dot and surface screening technologies provide high-quality print results in flexo printing, but the reproduction still requires a complex prepress process and extensive plate-making with additional steps and equipment. Flint Group Flexographic Products now introduces a new and easy way to achieve the same results – with the nyloflex® FTF Digital plate for flexible packaging.

FTF stands for Flat Top Dot plate for Flexible Packaging. The new flexo plate provides flat top dots by simply processing it like any standard digital plate; no change, no additional equipment, processing step or consumable item is required. A special, textured plate surface eliminates the need for time consuming surface screening. The texture of the plate provides an even ink laydown and increases solid ink density with just a standard resolution of 2,400 or 2,540 dpi. Following the easy way allows achieving a significant reduction in complexity and increased efficiency in the prepress and plate making process. The nyloflex® FTF Digital is the first commercially available product providing such unique features.

nyloflex® FTF Digital plates display the advantages of flat top dot geometry, such as less dot gain variation resulting in improved production consistency, as well as a reduced bump-up, while reaching the first stable tonal values of e.g., 1.2% at 60 L/cm (152 lpi) thus increasing image contrast. Extensive field trials showed a significant improvement of the typical trail edge void effect with the use of the nyloflex® FTF Digital plate.

The new photopolymer flexo printing plate, nyloflex® FTF Digital, will be available to the market in the thicknesses of 1.14 mm (.045") and 1.70 mm (.067") in July 2015. Interested repro houses and printers can request free test kits and print samples via info.flexo@flintgrp.com or at www.flintgrp.com.