Business development manager, Alan Coker, and Matt Francklow, owner, studying a print sample

 

Taking the holistic approach, Creation Reprographics, in Daventry, has launched a new product that combines the advantages of printing with four colour process and the environmental benefits of using a waterwash plate to achieve results that surprised everyone. Neel Madsen went to visit the company.

Flexo printing with just the four process colours is offered by many different suppliers and has the well known benefits of savings on ink, reducing press downtime and makereadies, increasing profitability and the ability to print shorter runs with different jobs side by side on press.

Repro house Creation Reprographics believes four colour process printing will give the printer the most cost savings (although it also recognises the benefits that multi colour fixed pallet printing can bring). It wanted to take advantage of all these benefits, but also offer a product that produces high quality flexo printing, which can rival gravure and at the same time help customers improve their green credentials. The solution is a new concept entitled Optimize Evolution H20, which combines the AWP waterwash plate from Asahi Photoproducts with the company’s own Evolution screening process.

 

Holistic approach

While customers often question the higher cost per square inch of a waterwash plate, the company is quick to point out that initial plate cost is only part of the story and that it is important to look at the whole picture and factor in all the costs of producing flexo printed cartons, labels and flexible packaging.

The AWP plate is known to have a much longer life and therefore fewer replacement plates will be needed to run long jobs. As it only takes one hour to process from len file receipt to finished plate, there are also considerable savings to be found in lower energy costs as well as shorter delivery times. Solvent plates take up to three hours and require driers to be kept on a constant temperature 24/7. And not only is there no solvent to dispose off, the water used in the processor is recycled.

Part of the reason Creation has developed the new product with the AWP plate is that it has made the decision to become solvent free within the next 12 to 18 months. Owner Matt Francklow said, ‘Environmental issues have for too long been swept under the carpet and it is time we took them into account. All our big clients have green policies in place and we have to be able to offer them a product that complies and meets their needs.’

Using this particular plate with its ink pinning technology is what made all the difference to the print quality, according to Mr Francklow. ‘This plate only prints what is actually on top of the dot. There are no issues with haloes or doughnut effects, and the same excellent result can be produced again and again.’ He continued to say that the AWP plate is produced more like a traditional solvent plate, where residue after exposure is removed by stiff brushes, and that water is used as a solvent.

 

Excellent results

Recent print trials at a major flexibles company were done with no change to the usual process, bar using the new Optimize concept, and the results surprised everyone. ‘The printers absolutely loved what they saw and that is the first vital step,’ said Mr Francklow. He also said that customers can save up to 20% on their overall costs.  

No new investments are needed to use Optimize and it has been proven to work as well on new as old presses. In fact, the original print trials conducted in cooperation with Sun Chemical were run on a 20 year old press with all the associated issues older machinery throws up.

The only investment the company itself is making is in a large format AWP processor and that is simply to keep up with demand for the new product. Its Evolution screening technology is already well established and works by taking out the dots in the highlight area to increase the visual impact and contrast on images and vignettes.

David Galton, director, Asahi Photoproducts, said, ‘Creation Reprographics has taken full advantage of the properties that the unique AWP plate offers and combined it with its expert pre-press knowledge to produce exceptionally high quality print. Not only does this plate outperform traditional solvent and thermal plates, but the environmental benefits are significant.’