Cosmolight water wash plates used in flexographic printing.

Jones Packaging Transitions to Toyobo Cosmolight Water Wash Plates

Offering leading-edge packaging solutions has made London, Ontario-based Jones Packaging one of the premier printers in Canada for more than 130 years.

Introducing Toyobo Cosmolight Water Wash Plates

Jones Packaging is internationally recognized for its expertise in printed packaging, contract packaging, medication dispensing, and delivery products. The company is a healthcare-focused organization that prints everything from folding cartons, labels, leaflets, pouching, blister packaging, vial filling, and secondary packaging to a wide range of specialized dispensing and compliance products for pharmacies, hospitals, and long-term care.

For the past eight years, DuPont™ Cyrel® FAST plates were the go-to choice for Jones Packaging. While they were satisfied with the performance of FAST and viewed their supplier as a trusted partner, increasing demands in the pharma sector required superior reproduction of smaller types and details that the FAST plates could not adequately address.

The Need for Better Solutions

To meet these demands, Jones Packaging relied on specialized, outside suppliers with the technology to produce flexo plates that met higher standards. James Lee, Director of Technology and Innovation for the company, realized that this technology could be brought in-house to provide better control over production and costs. Thus, a search began for a prepress supplier to assist the company in this transition.

Lee was determined to avoid making a significant capital investment in imaging equipment that would enhance DuPont FAST plates. He believed that there were materials available that could deliver better performance without the need for such an investment. He was aware that Anderson & Vreeland offered Toyobo Cosmolight water wash plates with the potential to achieve much better quality at an appropriate price point. It was crucial to explore all options in the industry to find the best plate material and supplier.

Testing and Evaluation of Cosmolight Water Wash Plates

Jones Packaging tested plates from five different companies, including Anderson & Vreeland’s Cosmolight water wash plates. “It became clear very quickly that the water-wash technology offered by A&V was a superior way of achieving the quality objective,” said Lee. However, the scope of the evaluation process extended beyond printing plate quality. “Quality and price were important factors, but the support level offered by the plate supplier was of even greater importance,” noted Lee.

After an evaluation process that lasted nearly six months, Jones Packaging ultimately selected Cosmolight water wash plates offered by Anderson & Vreeland. “Our decision was based on many factors,” Lee explained. “Although our previous supplier was a long-time trusted partner, they could not provide the level of service we needed, and I felt that Anderson & Vreeland could.”

Implementing Cosmolight Water Wash Technology

The Orbital X plate processor, a machine designed for processing flexographic printing plates.

Jones Packaging purchased a 25” x 30” Orbital X plate processor and a Whirl-A-Way filtration system from A&V Canada. Jessica Harkins, Technologies Manager for A&V, and Martin Schofield, Technical Sales Representative for A&V Canada, worked closely with Jones’ personnel during the installation.

A&V’s technical support and ability to transition from the prepress department to the pressroom were new experiences for Jones Packaging. “We were incredibly impressed with A&V during and after the installation,” said Lee. “They supplied us with scientific data detailing what our plate setter was doing, created curves that met our requirements, and provided feedback on what was happening on press. The level of reporting was incredibly professional. Anderson & Vreeland didn’t just sell us a better plate material; they validated its performance during the installation process, which exceeded our expectations.”

Jones Packaging personnel appreciated the support from A&V that extended beyond the installation of plate processing equipment. “As we speak, I have staff participating in an Anderson & Vreeland webinar,” Lee mentioned, referring to A&V’s Technical Tip Webinar Series, which featured tips on improving flexo plate production.

Results Speak Volumes with Cosmolight Plates

Jones Packaging is thrilled with their decision to switch to Cosmolight water wash plates. Feedback from press operators indicates that the fine type is crystal clear, and the screens print better—nice, crisp, and clean. Randy Allen, Web Department Supervisor for Jones Packaging, noted, “The plates are printing higher-quality dots and screens than we ever had before. We are holding 1 pt. Type with greater clarity and consistency than we even thought was possible.”

Melissa King, Lead Platemaker for Jones Packaging, also expressed satisfaction with the Cosmolight plates. “We use plates multiple times, and Cosmolight plates clean up better. You don’t have to clean them as often during a press run. Our press operators have said, ‘Cosmolight plates transfer ink better’ and ‘hold detail better,’ which are impressive statements,” added King.

Lee confirmed, “I haven’t received a single negative comment about Cosmolight plates.” He checked in with his pressroom manager about the switch, and in addition to improved ink transfer and performance, they found that they no longer had to struggle with the plates. Some adjustments were necessary, but all were positive, leading to faster and easier setups while achieving the targeted quality standards.

Life is good when you have satisfied customers like Jones Packaging. I’d like to thank James Lee, Melissa King, and Randy Allen for sharing their experiences with the transition to Cosmolight water wash plates. I would also like to thank everyone at Jones Packaging for your business and for placing your trust in Anderson & Vreeland.

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