Color consistency in a flexo workflow shown in custom packaging.

Mastering the Flexo Workflow: A Guide to Consistency and Quality

Every flexo shop owner knows that, in the eyes of most customers, you’re only as good as your last job. That means every project must be as close to perfect as possible, and achieving this requires a reliable, consistent flexo workflow.

The workflow of flexo printing can be highly manual. However, today’s advanced technologies—including software, plate makers, and processors—handle much of the work to ensure jobs meet the highest standards of quality and accuracy. When the right tools are combined, they improve print quality and streamline the entire flexo workflow, speeding up the process of getting jobs on press.

The Importance of an Efficient Flexo Workflow

Let’s consider a typical scenario: you’re tasked with printing 25,000 four-color labels for a bottle of tea. Each week, for a month, the job requires black plate changes. While this isn’t a massive project, it’s crucial because it’s for a new customer with potential for more business. You want to integrate this job into your flexo workflow and ensure that every batch meets customer expectations.

Start with a Solid Flexo Workflow

To ensure your customer keeps you on their preferred supplier list, you need a streamlined flexo workflow that reduces production time while maintaining top-notch quality. Anderson & Vreeland partners with leading brands like Hybrid Software, GMG Color, and XSYS to help you build a state-of-the-art workflow for label production.

Most label projects begin in design software such as Adobe® Illustrator® and arrive in converters’ shops as PDFs. These files almost always require prepress adjustments before printing. That’s where PACKZ, Hybrid’s PDF editor specifically designed for packaging and labels, comes in. PACKZ integrates a range of prepress, editing, and quality assurance features, ensuring your weekly black plate changes are handled efficiently and keeping your flexo workflow running smoothly.

Image of PACKZ software as a part of a successful flexo workflow.

Managing Color in the Flexo Workflow

Color consistency is key in flexo printing. GMG’s OpenColor is essential for creating conversion profiles that ensure predictable color separations. These profiles can be previewed and applied in Hybrid’s PACKZ software, creating a two-way integration between color management and PDF editing. Once approved, files move seamlessly through the flexo workflow to Hybrid Cloudflow, an automated platform designed for streamlined graphic production.

Fast, High-Resolution Imaging

Once your files are RIPed in Hybrid Cloudflow, they move to the newly redesigned Thermoflex family of digital imaging devices from XSYS. Devices like the ThermoflexX 30 offer user-defined resolutions of up to 5080 dpi and are equipped with a touchscreen interface for ease of use. From small plates to larger formats, ThermoflexX technology ensures your flexo workflow remains agile and capable of handling varying plate sizes.

Image of the nyloflex® Xpress Thermal system, a vital part of a successful flexo workflow.

Accelerating Plate Processing in Your Flexo Workflow

After imaging, the plates are exposed to UV-A light and processed using XSYS’s nyloflex® Xpress Thermal system. Designed as a holistic solution, this thermal processor and its corresponding plates work together to deliver high-quality results with speed. The small-footprint processor can handle plates from 10 x 10 inches up to 42 x 60 inches, and its flexible design allows for field upgrades as your flexo workflow grows.

The nyloflex® Xpress system rivals traditional solvent plates, offering processing times as fast as 10-15 minutes. This can dramatically accelerate your flexo workflow while maintaining the high quality your customers expect.

Build a Better Flexo Workflow with Anderson & Vreeland

By integrating Hybrid, GMG, and XSYS’s custom-edge solutions, Anderson & Vreeland can help you create a powerful, efficient flexo workflow that ensures superior packaging and label production. With the right technology in place, you’ll meet your current customers’ needs and position your shop as their go-to source for all future projects.

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