prepress labels
Well-known member
Hello!
Our narrow-web flexo press (a Gallus ECS 340) has the capability to print rotary screen in combination with flexo. Recently we've noticed on certain jobs that the screen printing is out of register with the flexo printing, as if the distortion is off. Specifically, the white screen ink doesn't line up directly behind the flexo ink--it appears to be off every other label.
We've been using the same flexo distortion numbers for years (appears to be industry standard, per a Google search), but now we've actually developed a new flexo distortion chart specifically for this press (by trial and error on this one label project).
Example:
16.5" (132 tooth) cylinder, .067 DuPont plates
Old distortion: 97.636%
Old distorted length: 16.11"
New distortion: 97.70%
New distorted length: 16.12"
Our screen material is imaged from a piece of film, which is imaged on a CDI Spark 2530. No distortion is applied to the screen file.
Now we're finding that our revised formula isn't working--the registration is still bad on the same job, from one repeat to the next (this is an 8.25" repeat, two images around the cylinder).
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I've never encountered an issue like this in 19 years of flexo printing (eight of it combo printing), where a new distortion formula was needed.
Gallus provided us with a snippet of a manual explaining distortion and methods for adjusting it (attached)--it seems to suggest that revised distortions are sometimes required for combo printing (flexo & screen on the same item). However, since our newly-extrapolated formula isn't doing the trick, I'm on the hunt for any other potential causes.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated--thanks!
Our narrow-web flexo press (a Gallus ECS 340) has the capability to print rotary screen in combination with flexo. Recently we've noticed on certain jobs that the screen printing is out of register with the flexo printing, as if the distortion is off. Specifically, the white screen ink doesn't line up directly behind the flexo ink--it appears to be off every other label.
We've been using the same flexo distortion numbers for years (appears to be industry standard, per a Google search), but now we've actually developed a new flexo distortion chart specifically for this press (by trial and error on this one label project).
Example:
16.5" (132 tooth) cylinder, .067 DuPont plates
Old distortion: 97.636%
Old distorted length: 16.11"
New distortion: 97.70%
New distorted length: 16.12"
Our screen material is imaged from a piece of film, which is imaged on a CDI Spark 2530. No distortion is applied to the screen file.
Now we're finding that our revised formula isn't working--the registration is still bad on the same job, from one repeat to the next (this is an 8.25" repeat, two images around the cylinder).
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I've never encountered an issue like this in 19 years of flexo printing (eight of it combo printing), where a new distortion formula was needed.
Gallus provided us with a snippet of a manual explaining distortion and methods for adjusting it (attached)--it seems to suggest that revised distortions are sometimes required for combo printing (flexo & screen on the same item). However, since our newly-extrapolated formula isn't doing the trick, I'm on the hunt for any other potential causes.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated--thanks!