The Time and Money Saving Guide for the Flexographic Printer FlexoGuide is a free service of All Printing Resources, Inc. (APR). It is intended to keep our customers informed of new solution-oriented products, technical tips, saving opportunities, and APR services. Previous issues of FlexoGuide are available here.   Tech Tip 1 - Maximizing Gradients for Flexography Tech Tip 2 - Score Line Prevention Prepress for Flexography Workshop APR's Solution Showcase at Label Expo Oris Package Pro Scantech's Combitrack  Tech Tip 1 Maximizing Gradients for Flexography Gradients and vignettes can be a particular challenge for Flexography. So, it is important to understand the print variables when creating or modifying a file with gradients to minimize the appearance of banding or hard lines. The best way to determine print capabilities is to run a fingerprint or characterization on the press that includes a complete tonal scale. The scale should include patches for... Tech Tip 2 Score Line Prevention Scoring or "shiny-lines" are a sometimes-controversial subject on what causes them. What is not controversial is that they can ruin expensive anilox rolls and cause waste in print jobs. As in most problematic situations, it is never one thing that causes or can eliminate the problem. When diagnosing the problem, it is also important to understand the difference between what is considered "scoring" vs. "fill-in"...  Prepress for Flexography Workshop - October 11th & 12th, 2006 
APR will be offering our popular Prepress for Flexography Workshop at the Glendale Heights training facility, October 11-12, 2006. This workshop is specifically designed for graphic designers, prepress Mac operators, and prepress coordinators/managers. Please select the following link to find out more about this workshop. Prepress for Flexography (2-days) Prepress for Flexography, October 11-12, in Glendale Heights, Illinois - $395/person Enrollment is limited to 10 participants. Your fee includes all materials, one copy of Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerances, Third Addition with CD-ROM, CD-ROM of training handouts and daily lunches, snacks and beverages. The schedule for each day is 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. We are offering special discount rates for early registration for this workshop. Registration forms and payment must be received by September 19th for the discount offers to apply:
You can register online or print out the form and fax it to (800) 536-4946. Please contact us with any further questions. We are committed to meeting your expectations for quality training and process improvement solutions.  
APR's Solution Showcase at Labelexpo 2006 APR will be featuring flexo-related products and solutions, presented by various industry leaders including Kodak, Flint Group, PC Industries, Scantech, and others in booth number 6022.
 Oris Package Pro, a comprehensive color proofing and production tools for flexographic and packaging production to help meet the challenges of flexo proofing Color control and accurate color proofing continues to be elusive for package and flexographic printing professionals. Now to help is ORIS Package Pro, providing high-powered color management and contract quality proofing for flexographic package designers. ORIS proofing works directly with multi-channel Generic Output Profiles (GOP), so users can replace custom colors on the fly, saving money without compromising image quality. Users also benefit from ORIS' award-winning color management, including auto color matching/calibration and its precise simulation of Pantone colors and Hexachrome separations. 
Especially in flexographic printing, with its use of a wide range of substrates and screen rulings, the screening used highly influences the overall appearance of a print. Furthermore, trapping errors, moirés and similar artifacts can only be seen on halftone output. This is why a perfect reproduction of the original 1-bit file is important. Since the final data is not always available, package designers and producers will also appreciate ORIS Package Pro's enhanced ScreenDot Plus capability for predicting the effects of halftone screening. Developed exclusively for CGS, this provides an accurate screen simulation during the design process, on top of reproducing the original screening information with contract-quality color accuracy. ORIS Package Pro also contains many functions, which were specifically developed with the flexographic application in mind. ORIS Package Pro is not limited to proofing. With the ORIS workflow, users can also color manage high-resolution production files for optimum output on various printing presses and other output devices. Package Pro Benefits Save money and time, without sacrificing image quality, with ORIS Package Pro's integrated use of multi-channel Generic Output Profiles, and its complete control of CMYK and spot/custom colors. Increase operational efficiency, by using ORIS' automatic color matching and automatic printer calibration, plus its robust workflow for remote proofing on cost-effective inkjet devices and/or monitors—anywhere in the world! Gain new business and retain existing customer loyalty, with ORIS' proofing accuracy, color stability on certified ORISPROOF media, halftone proofing, and other features that provide color assurance to marketing and brand managers. ORIS Package Pro offers packaging designers and producers a complete set of color management tools for accurate proofing at any stage of the process. ORIS Package Pro's expert handling of spot and custom colors means greater efficiency for both packaging designers and producers For more information on this product, please call us at 1-800-445-4017, or e-mail us at info@teamflexo.com. Scantech's Combitrack - The Flexible Format Film Rewinder for increased productivity 
Why a new film rewinding concept for label printers? With the continued development in thin films, and many new applications for them, flexo printer's face new challenging to process accurately and productively. Scantech has developed a machine specifically designed for film. Controlled riding-ironing roll pressure throughout the winding cycle, the riding/ironing roll assemblies are specifically designed to handle thin-gauge film. Therefore, the tension in the rewinding webs does not add to, or subtract from, the riding/ironing roll pressure—all the way from beginning at the core to finishing at the outside diameter. This is a critical, major point of comparison with respect to Combitrack's competition. Correct ergonomics are crucial with heavy film rolls. Rewinding shafts are located at heights to suit the operator in hour-after-hour production, thus greatly reducing operator fatigue and changeover times. As well as being a superior film processing system, Combitrack can be used for normal pressure-sensitive label inspection, slitting and rewinding—without compromise! The film processing functions never impede the functions of the main operating platform. For more information on this product, please call us at 1-800-445-4017, or e-mail us at info@teamflexo.com. For more information, literature, pricing, or any other assistance, please call us at 1-800-445-4017 or e-mail us at info@teamflexo.com. Privacy Policy We want to let you know that to protect your privacy, we will never release your e-mail address to a third party. In all cases, every message we send will be clearly identified as coming to you from All Printing Resources, Inc.. And with every message, you will be given an opportunity to opt out from receiving future messages. Even if you have previously submitted e-mail preferences, you may use the link below to check or add to your profile. This will allow us in the future to better select specials, tech tips, featured products, and training updates products and services targeted to your more specific business needs. Thank you for being a FlexoGuide subscriber and for aiding us in the process of making this a continually improving time and money saving guide for the Flexographic printing industry. © 2006, All Printing Resources, Inc.  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||