Gradients in Flexography

[aqazi81]

Hi All,

Need to know how you guys work with gradients in flexography to prevent edge lines and smooth transition to white?
Adding a picture of a job where we had issues with the edge line at the end of the gradient.

 

[Floeckchen]

Not really the strong point for flexo.
Either try to keep everything at 1%, dont make a complet fade out
Use special RIP-like Samba Flex
Decrease Lineatur
Use a second weaker color for the highlight area

Productionwise you always also have the bump up for the specific plate and plate thickness. There you could try to switch to a better suited plate and use foam to decrease thickness and have a more stable mindot.

 

[SteveSuffRIT]

Often occurs with converntional AM screening.
If you use a hybrid (XM), where dot is FM in highlights, then goes back to AM later (>10%), this would help.
The visual appearance is a smooth vignette or blend to zero.
Lightness is not from smaller AM dot, but from farther spaced dots.

 

[schenkadere]

Hybrid screening as mentioned above.

 

[asr]

Hi All,

Need to know how you guys work with gradients in flexography to prevent edge lines and smooth transition to white?
Adding a picture of a job where we had issues with the edge line at the end of the gradient.

View attachment 291563

 

[asr]

to other flexo printers, is it really possible in flexo printing to be able to print vignettes or halftone that has screening ending in zero as shown in the pics given above? especially process printing having cmyk that ends in zero in the middle of the layout. thanks

 

[SteveSuffRIT]

Yes, but you need digital plates and/or special screening (XM Hybrid).