Paper prices have seen a steady rise of 3% each month since May this year. This has caused significant concern among printing companies, and rightfully so. But what’s behind this increase? The answer is anything but simple, as several factors have contributed to the paper price rise. The current situation is seeing the European market suffering most of all from a globally-restricted supply of pulp, leaving the UK at a disadvantage. From Paperlinx to production costs, and the cost of crude oil to paper capacity, this article will explore many of the factors affecting paper prices, along with possible solutions those in the label printing industry can implement to lessen the blow.
The first Flexo type printing presses were patented in the late 19th century. Originally, flexographic printing was rudimentary in quality with its limitations in ink control and rubber printing plates. Commercial print applications were open to all but the most basic of print & packaging products. As the consumer industry grew, packaging & labels requiring high-quality print were generally being produced using the offset & letterpress processes until more recently. Since 1990, great advances have been made to the quality of flexographic printing presses, printing plates, printing units, drying systems & inks. These advances have combined to rival offset quality with improved practicality, higher production speeds, and lower capital investment.
Anilox scoring seems to be a never-ending challenge: It can occur immediately at the start of a new production run, other times it can appear suddenly and other times it comes and goes. Yet it never seems to totally go away. In This Article We Will Cover The Following: What is anilox scoring? Why does anilox scoring occur? Doctor Blade Selection Steel v Synthetic v Composite How to minimize anilox scoring. Regardless of the level of pressroom knowledge, anilox scoring can rear its head and if left unchecked it can become very expensive. Firstly in replacing the anilox and then the time and material cost because of the spoiled production.
With such a wide range of options to choose from, choosing the best label printing machine for your application can be a daunting prospect, especially if you know very little about ribbon printing technology and what is on the market. Among the many products that exist, there are two machines that are definitely worth further consideration in the ribbon printing realm: our B4 range, and the LX range.
A key element in Letterflex technology & directly printing textiles is the anilox roll. In order to achieve the best print quality possible the anilox roll should transfer the minimum volume of Ink to the printing plate to achieve the desired coverage. Factors that need to be considered are the type of image, substrate & ink types. All of these will affect the specification of the anilox roll that needs to be selected for the optimum result.
A crystal ball would certainly be a must-have item for anyone wishing to predict the printing trends of the future, as well as the costs to obtain them. This ever-changing industry is notoriously difficult to make predictions about. However, there are some occurrences which certainly do signal change in the textile, label and ribbon printing industries, and the news is very good.
