Printing plates how to pay securely with Stripe and Flexo24. Select the method you prefer from the payment page!

Printing plates bought online are becoming very common like all the other way to shop and will shortly surpass the traditional market. The agency eMarketer estimated that global e-commerce will approach $5 trillion (source). Thanks to a revolution in the flexo market, today with Flexo 24 it is possible to purchase digital plates through the most innovative way ever:

1. make the pdf for flexo for flexo,
2. upload your file and have it checked by our exclusive online software
3. PLACE YOUR ORDER to receive your digital flexo plate!
4. And now, for payment you can use the innovative Stripe system, "Pay with Link":

Proceed with the purchase of the digital flexo plate. ORDER NOW!

How to pay plates with the new "Pay with Link" method?

"Link" by Stripe, a leading company in online payments, is the ease of paying with a single click. In the payment request button for Flexo24 customers who previously entered all the details manually, now they will do it only once and for all e-commerce companies that allow this system.

How does "Pay with Link" work?

"Link" allows Flexo24 customers to store their payment details so they can pay with a single click on thousands of participating websites. Stripe will show each customer an Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link button based on their device and browser settings.

"Link" by @stripe

is the ease of paying with a single click.

In the payment request button for #Flexo24 customers - who previously entered all the details manually -
now they will do it only once and for all #ecommercebusiness
companies that allow this system. pic.twitter.com/tCuGc4p6Q0
— Flexo24 (@theFLEXO24) May 8, 2023

What's Link?

Link is a safe and easy way to pay fast on tens of thousands of e-commerce sites.

Save your payment information with Link to the first payment you make. The Stripe system will automatically enter your saved card/bank details and shipping addresses for all future purchases on websites supported by Link. You will have the opportunity to review your order before clicking to confirm your purchase.

Where can I sue Link?

Link is available on tens of thousands of sites that use Stripe for payment processing, with more being added every day.

What attentions does "Link" take to protect my informations?

When you make a payment with Link, your data is encrypted to ensure its security.

What information does Link share with companies?

To process your order, companies have access to your email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, and card expiration date.

How do I delete information saved with Link?

On the Link website, you can access your account to manage your payment methods and saved addresses. You can change or delete the following information.

Contact Support Link for more informations: https://support.link.com

Printing plates, how to pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. These are finally available for your orders of plates for flexo printing!

When you reach the payment page, you can check out and pay with Apple Pay or with Google Pay. You will confirm your order from your cart in Flexo 24. The main features of these payments methods are:

• Geographical area: where Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported.
• Payment transferred: only if authenticated by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

On Flexo 24 you can pay with your Google PAY account to pay your Printing plates.

Credit cards, from all over the world.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club and JCB credit and debit cards are globally the most popular payments methods and also the most used for orders of flexo digital plates. In Flexo 24 the most widely used credit cards are accepted for your online orders, here are the features:

• Geographical area: global.
• Payment: completed immediately.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

Here is a video showing how to use credit cards for orders in Flexo 24:

PRO TIP

It depends on the credit card you are going to use and the bank on which that credit card is connected, each process will be different:


1. choose payment by credit card,

2. enter all the information required,

3. proceed with the payment,

4. receive the PIN on your mobile,

5. enter the PIN received to validate the payment.

Each card and bank have their own way. Enter the PIN for payment on the Flexo 24 page or enter it on the bank page, even by mobile phone.

What’s in local payment methods are now available. Anywhere you are, find the best way for you and your online account!

Bancontact.

Bancontact, known as Bancontact/Mr Cash, is one of the most widely spread systems in Belgium, covering one third of all the online transactions. More than 80% of the payments to the online sellers in Belgium are made by Bancontact:

• Geographical area: Belgium.
• Payment: only if authenticated by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

PROTIP

Payments with Bancontact are authenticated by customers and immediately confirmed to the seller. If payments are not authenticated within 6 hours they will be canceled.

EPS the most widespread in Austria.

EPS (electronic payment standard) is the most popular online payment method developed jointly by the government and the Austrian banks. It is used by over 80% of the Austrian business. The payment flow is very similar to iDEAL or Giropay:

• Geographic area: Austria.
• Payment: only if authenticated by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

Giropay.

Giropay is a German payment system based on the online banking. Customers of most Sparkassen and German cooperative banks can complete online transactions by Giropay:

• Geographical area: Germany
• Payment: only if authenticated by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

With this video you can understand how payments by Giropay work.

iDEAL.

iDeal is the leading payment method for online transactions in the Netherlands. Customers use their own bank access details. All the main Dutch banks joined Currence, an association providing payment services and owner of iDEAL:

• Geographical area: the Netherlands.
• Payment: only if authenticated by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: immediate.

Here is a video explaining the iDEAL procedure.

Bank transfer.

Payments via bank can be transferred to the seller’s account using the details indicated below. You will receive the number of your new order by e-mail together with Flexo 24’s IBAN where you can transfer your payment:

• Geographical area: global.
• Payment: transferred by the customer.
• Payment confirmation: from 2 to several working days, depending from the bank involved.

After you have received your order confirmation you can proceed with the bank transfer from your home banking. Please indicate the order reference number when sending your payment.

PROTIP

Flexo 24 will process your order only after receiving the amount on the account. Together with the e-mail of your new order you will receive:
• your order number.
• Flexo 24’s IBAN where you can transfer your payment.
Remember to indicate the order reference number when sending your payment.
Your order will be shipped once the payment is received.

All the electronic payment methods are now available.
We introduced them to make things easier for your company, for you.

Flexo 24 is the first online service that offers flexo printing products in Italy and in the rest of the world. All the most widely used payment methods are available on our website:

Flexo 24 is an incredible innovation for the flexo printing industry. There is no other service for creating digital plates online like this. Flexo 24 is innovation.

Learn more about Flexo 24: the first service for creating digital flexo plates in 24 hours.

"Innovating today means introducing technology within the reach of general users that provides solutions that bring real benefits. In this digital age, having a unique and original idea is not enough. Flexo 24 with experience, and professionalism has succeeded in creating the first B2B e-commerce for the flexo printing industry".
Livio Simionato, R&D Flexo 24.

Ideas and technology: how Flexo 24 was born.

Those working in the flexo printing industry know the complexity of PDF for creating flexo plates. With their intuition and experience, Diego di Muro and Livio Simionato were the first to introduce the solution for creating flexo plates online: Flexo 24.

Flexo24 has issued a lot of updates to the packaging service.

All Companies dedicated to the packaging field is required constant technological and skills updates. Flexo24 wants to help them to avoid these costs by renewing its service. These are the 2023 new features:

HYBRID CALIBRATION TEST.

Calibration test for hybrid screen. This test is a perfect tool for calibrating your flexo system with an advanced screen where the engraved dots are scattered. Flexo24 refunds the cost of the test on your first order above € 199.00.

The application of hybrid screens avoids the effect of a “sharp” transition. The percentages below the minimum engraveable dot are created with a dot as small as the minimum engraveable, but are scattered in a random lay out, like in the stochastic screen.

So it is possible to achieve the optical illusion of a transition down to 0%, but still keeping the printable dot for that specific type of plates.

The point of transition from conventional to stochastic screen is directly proportional to the screen count. The higher the screen count, the higher will be the transition area..

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CIRCULAR AND HYBRID, one-colour comparison.


Flexo24’s R&D department published the analysis. THE COMPLETE ANALYSIS CAN BE REQUESTED BY WRITING to the customer care through this contact form

From the analysis between the “circular screen fingerprint” (above) at 4000 dpi, circular screen and variable screen, colour filling from 100% to 0% with the “hybrid screen fingerprint” (below) at 4000 dpi, circular screen and variable screen, colour filling from 100% to 0%, the difference can be noticed in the lighter shades. The distribution of the dots is consistent and steady in the circular screen, while it’s scattered, inconsistent in the hybrid screen.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CIRCULAR AND HYBRID, a multi-colour example.


Flexo24’s R&D department published also the analysis on the same image in full-colour, using a typical example with a light shaded subject. THE COMPLETE ANALYSIS CAN BE ALSO REQUESTED BY WRITING to the customer care through this contact form

From the analysis between the circular screen “4-colour image” (above) at 4000 dpi, with the “hybrid screen image” (below) at 4000 dpi, the difference can be noticed in the lighter shades, especially where the white fades to 0%. The distribution of the dots is consistent and steady in the circular screen, while it’s scattered, inconsistent in the hybrid screen.

DETAILED STUDY ON MINIMUM DOT AND HYBRID SCREEN: https://www.flexo24.com/international/flexography-...

BUY YOUR CALIBRATION TEST FOR THE HYBRID SCREEN: https://www.flexo24.com/international/test-di-cali...

1st ranked in Eh!wards 2018: Flexo 24 elected best E-commerce of the year.

During the Eh!wards 2018, the evening dedicated to the best E-commerce of 2018 that saw in competition about 120 candidates, Flexo 24 was awarded as best E-commerce of 2018!

Planning and continuous research.

Flexo 24 is a team of professionals in the fields of:

• flexo printing processes,
• digital marketing,
• web development,

The team of professionals, led by Andrea Tronchin, managed to create a platform for ordering flexo plates online after a careful and rigorous research process. This is how the core of the Flexo 24 technology was created: the online software for PDF analysis.

PRO TIP

The online software for PDF analysis is the exclusive file-recognition system PDF analysis is the exclusive file-recognition system for creating flexo plates. This cutting-edge system is available only at Flexo 24. It analyses up to 20 improved PDF features in real time and in just a few seconds!

Flexo 24's offer to its clients.

It's a state-of-the-art system for flexo. Flexo 24 offers:

• continuous manufacturing for receiving your plate in 24 or 72 hours;
• prints with the maximum size available on the market, 127 x 203 cm, 50 x 80 inc.
• Kodak Flexcel NX available for 1.14 thickness;
• BLOG with technical and informative material and tutorials;
• quality checks included in the price;
• telephone support when buying;
• safety and reliability;
• offers and discounts on purchases.

Placing your order with Flexo 24 is simple:

1. Select your digital plate.
2. Upload the PDF for the checkConfirm the plates and their angles.
3. Buy your plate!

Follow the steps with this video:

An extract of the full infographic to repeat the main steps on how to prepare pdf for flexo plate.

Flexo 24 wants to generate professional interest about flexographic sector and provides all its acknowledge through the blog. Here the preview of the article dedicated to the guide for creating the pdf for flexo.

Flexo 24 is for companies working in the flexo printing industry.

Customers of a flexo printing company need to place their trust and reliability in the manufacturer. Flexo 24 is a valuable aid to the flexo operator as it offers:

• speed
• reliability
• quality

reducing costs and processing time without neglecting delivery times.

PRO TIP

Now Available: possibility of on site order retirement, using on the cart the promo code FREESHIPPING (sending us all the currier details).

The many Flexo 24 warranties.

We guarantee that the plates are new and that they have been stored according to manufacturer's specifications. Safe packaging.

• secure payment transactions with SSL technology,
• security in the processing of company data,
• a quality product manufactured and delivered within 24 or 72 hours from placing the order,
• easy re-ordering,checking of the plate created included in the price,
• customer service: (+39) 0422 165 0004.

Flexo 24 can create plates quickly and with highest quality because:

• we rely on the leading international suppliers in the flexo printing market;
• we have technologically-advanced and fully-automated machines.

Flexo 24 is your reliable partner for:

• Brand agency
• Flexographic printshop
• Communication agency
• Graphic studio
• Quality control operator
• Graphics operator
• Technical manager
• Business manager
• Technical office personnel
• Flexographic printer

Continuous improved features and respect for the environment.

Flexo printing and sustainability go hand in hand. Flexo 24 is particularly committed to respecting the environment. We use working methods and purification/abatement systems to achieve the least environmental impact.

Start now and become a Flexo 24 customer: create your own plate!

Photopolymer plates: optimization for the production of printing plates thanks to the latest release of our Flexo24 software suitable for the online flexographic prepress.

Flexo24 released the new software for flexo pre-press to produce photopolymer plates and to receive the analysis of your PDF files online in real time. The 2.0.1 rel 22 version adds new, improved features to the existing functions, see this article: Flexo pre-press for the PDF: how to optimizing?

Save your configuration in real-time.

Once the features from the configurator are selected, you can save them for a quicker response next time. Here is a video explaining the new SAVE function:Flexo24 improved the analysis of your PDF files by detecting additional features through the new release of the real time software for flexo pre-press.

All these features DO NOT prevent the file from being valid for production in case of mismatch. Here are some suggestions on how to improve the result of your pre-press:

• processing steps’ inside the PDF
• Dot gain compensation curves (DGC) already applied
• overprinting white: fine lines
• overprinting white: filling, graphic elements
• JPG images

ProcessingSteps.

Thanks to the new software release, these processing steps for the production of plates are detected if they are already contained in the PDF file uploaded through our configurator.

Here is the message that you get:

ATTENTION: PDF contains Processing Steps according to ISO 19593-1:2019.

To avoid undesired results, these are not processed by our RIP systems. If you need these features to be processed, we suggest to apply them to your job before uploading the file: it’s up to you.

NOTE: you can always ask for a consultation with one of our Flexo24 experts to optimize your PDF file, just order the PDF check.

Dot gain compensation curves (DGC).

DGC is specific for flexo direct printing. The compensation curves optimize the sharpness of the printed results by adjusting the engraving values of every single dot on the printing plate.

The dot gain created by the printing machine can be compensated with a DGC value from our Flexo24 configurator. Some PDF files might already be set with this value, i.e. with a dot gain compensation curve already applied.

If curves are already applied, the analysis of the file will display this message:

ATTENTION: PDF contains dot gain compensation curves.

To avoid undesired results, these are not processed by our RIP systems. If you need a DGC to be processed, we suggest to apply this to your job before uploading the file: it’s up to you.

Fine lines OVERPRINTING WHITE.

‘White print’, non-printing white area, or overprinting white creates some misunderstanding even among flexo experts in the field of the packaging design.

It is usually intended as::

• ‘non-printing area’ to make the color of the substrate (usually white) pop up,
• fine lines or graphic elements to be printed in white: this is a typical feature of flexo printing (white overprinting).

NOTE: in more complex flexo projects both solutions can be applied.

The new 2.0.1 rel. 22 version of the online Flexo24PDF software helps to optimize pre-press and displays the following message if any white line is detected::

ATTENTION: Fine lines OVERPRINTING WHITE detected in the PDF: these will not pierce through the other color separations/channels into the elements printed beneath.

As this feature might produce undesired results, it’s up to you to ensure that it is correctly managed.

By signing up to flexo 24’s newsletter you will only receive helpful information and an immediate €20,00 discount for your first order above € 199,00! Sign Up:

OVERPRINTING WHITE: filling, graphic elements.

Our latest release enables the flexo pre-press operator to be warned about those graphic elements that are "white" filled. These graphic elements are most of all unexpected to produce correct photopolymer plates.

For the production of flexo plates on flexo systems it is required to be well aware of the ‘overprinting white’. To avoid any misunderstanding the following non-binding message will be displayed:

ATTENTION: Graphic elements filled in OVERPRINTING WHITE detected in the PDF: these will not pierce through the other color separations/channels into the elements printed beneath.

As this feature might produce undesired results, it’s up to you to ensure that it is correctly managed.

Embedded JPG images.

The PDF file that you want to upload can also contain rasterized, non-vector, JPG images. For flessography, we suggest to use images in other vector formats..

If the analysis of your PDF file finds any JPG images, the following message will be displayed:

ATTENTION: JPG images detected in the PDF.

As this is a compression format that makes images loose their quality, ensure that these are saved with a compression factor that does not affect the final quality of the printing plate.

Flexo printing systems are always improving by Flexo24.

“Innovating today means offering human technology, with solutions and tangible advantages for the packaging industry. The digital era is in full swing, and having just an original intuition is not enough. Expertise and professionalism helped Flexo24 to create the first B2B e-commerce for the flexo field, introducing constantly innovation and raising the service level.”

Livio Simionato, R&D Flexo 24.

ARE YOU READY?

Order your Plates now!

BOOK NOW a call with one of our professionals.

Flexo plate distortion: How to calculate it and get high quality flexographic printing?

Most flexo digital plates are exposed on a flat surface.They’d print an exact copy of the negative if it was not for the fact they have to be wrapped around a cylinder for flexo printing. When the flexo rubber plates are mounted on these cylinders:

• Flexo machines print the longest image in the printing direction following the negative, causing flexographic elongation or distortion.
• The results do not match the desired ones, and the packaging or label printing are not satisfying.

PRO TIP

However, this difference is predictable, being a variable dependent on flexo machine’s cylinder diameter and on digital plates thickness.

Images must be reduced in the printing direction and with the table for calculating the flexo plate distortion it is possible to do it quickly, following a few and intuitive steps.

Buy now flexo readymade plates.

ORDER NOW THE FLEXO PRINTING PLATES, THE PHOTOPOLYMER FOR FLEXO PRINTING.

How to get photopolymer plates for flexography?

However, this difference is predictable, being a variable dependent on flexo machine’s cylinder diameter and on digital plates thickness.

Images must be reduced in the printing direction and with the table for calculating the flexo plate distortion it is possible to do it quickly, following a few and intuitive steps.

The guide to using flexo plate distortion calculator.

How to calculate flexo plate distortion?
Before loading the PDF for the realization of your digital plate with Flexo 24, you can calculate the negative distortion to apply to the file, by filling out the form you will find below. Follow these practical instructions:

1. Choose the unit of measurement.
2. Enter the value of the printing cylinder circumference.
3. Select the thickness of the digital plate you want to realize.
4. You immediately get the results in the table for calculating the flexo plate distortion.
5. Apply the reduction to the graphics of your file using graphic softwares..

Flexographic tutorial: learn more about with Flexo 24 Web Series.

Need a help for your flexo prepress? Here a tutorial about the management of the PDF file with the application of the reduction. Visit our Youtube channel for more useful videos.

Start now and become a Flexo 24 customer: create your own plate!

By signing up to flexo 24’s newsletter you will only receive helpful information and an immediate €20,00 discount for your first order above € 199,00! Sign Up:

Kodak flexo plates take your flexo printing to an advanced level.

Kodak flexo plates are the result of the processed Kodak Flexcel NX through:

• the laser Squarespot exposure technology integrated in the CTP Kodak system. This ensures great consistency in printing because it reduces the variables related to chemical products,
• the Flexcel NX photopolymer plate, especially designed for this system and available in thickness 1,14 mm,
• the Thermal Image Layer that prevents oxygen to be in contact with the plate during exposure and avoids the oxidation typical of the other ablation systems. It ensures a higher consistency with the digitalTiff 1 bit (LEN) file generated from the PDF uploaded in Flexo 24 and guarantees perfect copies of each plate,
• use of automatic lamination with the Flexcel NX wide 5080 Laminator.

Kodak, the most reliable system for flexo.

How can you get the most visible improvement on printing?
The print quality improvement is most visible in the reproduction of images:

• smooth transitions (shifting from one colour to another),
• wider tonal range,
• improved colour contrast.

This is why Kodak Flexcel NX is considered the most reliable solution in the flexo printing market, because you can engrave plates with flat top dots below 1% with an improved optical density and print quality.

Buy now KODAK Flexcel NX readymade plates.

ORDER NOW KODAK FLEXO PRINTING PLATES, THE PHOTOPOLYMER FOR FLEXO PRINTING.

Standard or Advanced from 1 to 5: 6 options of different patterns!

With the Digicap Nx algorithm it is possible to achieve optimal ink transfer and ink coverage thanks to the surface of the flexo plate, which is characterised by microcells of 5x10 microns and a very high pattern density.

There are many specific solutions with different densities in the micro-pattern (texturisation of the plate) suitable for each of the various applications in flexo printing.

Use recommendations for UV and water-based inks are now being developed.

PRO TIP

In addition to the Standard pattern, 5 more patterns defined as “Advanced” are available.
These can be divided in 2 groups.

1) Standard, Adv01 and Adv02: suitable mostly for a high screen count anilox with a volume below 4 bcm (6,2 cm3/m2). These are usually employed for CMYK, screened colours and full tones.

2) Adv03, Adv04 and Adv05: these work better with a low screen count anilox and volumes above 4 bcm with a high ink transfer. These patterns are usually employed for non-screened Pantone colours or for the white ink. Suitable for full tone ink.

The image represents the 6 patterns that can be selected with the Kodak Flexcel NX technology. In each frame: magnified surface. Bottom right: screen pattern seen from above.

How to select the right pattern for your printing machine?

A printing test of all the patterns showed above can help you choose the pattern that matches your flexo system. You can decide which pattern suits your system best according to:

• inks,
• anilox,
• tape,
• printing substrate.

1. Buy your calibration test for the Kodak patterns, print and then check which pattern has the higher ink density by using a densitometer (tool to measure the quantity of colour spread on the substrate).
2. Decide which is the best result as to ink coverage and cleanness (uniform screen).

Order now the Kodak calibration test to choose the right pattern for your printing system!

By signing up to flexo 24’s newsletter you will only receive helpful information and an immediate €20,00 discount for your first order above € 199,00! Sign Up:

Packaging design, flexo printing events: the complete guide to all next packaging exhibitions.

In Italy, Europe and beyond our continent, the events linked to the world of the flexographic printing increase from year to year and now are very numerous. Staying updated about each of them is certainly not easy, because of myriad of different sites and unclear or misleading information. Flexo 24 proposes a guide to fairs, exhibitions and seminars concerning the world of the flexographic press and makes available to each user an useful and easy to consult calendar about the flexible packaging and labeling trade fairs.

Start now and become
the next Flexo 24 customer: create your own plate!

Read now the Flexo 24 Fairs Calendar 2023, 2024 and some more and in a few steps you can know all Packaging events, trade fairs, shows & conferences.

The Flexo 24 Calendar 2023/'24: a useful guide for all flexographic professionals.

Creative managers, graphic designers, packaging printing, flexo printers: any professional can use this practical tool to stay updated constantly on flexo events concerning:

• packaging printing
• labeling
• converting
• flexible packaging
• flexo photopolymer plates and flexo printing
• Kodak plates, customize now your KODAK FLEXCEL NX plate with Flexo 24.

Try today the Kodak NX plate with Calibration Test for Kodak!

What can I do with Flexo 24 Fairs Calendar?

Thanks to this flexographic Calendar, you can be up to date about every event with useful and accurate information:

• Check out the news
• You can check when the event is held and learn official dates
• You will get information about the location of the printing trade fairs
• A useful link will allow you to acquire even more details directly from the official website.

By signing up to flexo 24’s newsletter you will only receive helpful information and an immediate €20,00 discount for your first order above € 199,00! Sign Up:

Here is the Calendar.

Following the complete list of more than 200 fairs analyzed by the Flexo 24 professional team:

Start now and become
next Flexo 24 customer: create your own plate!

1 Bit TIFF is the basic encoding of the graphic elements encapsulated in the PDF file. Such encoding must be set correctly as it disinhibits all the information set by our Flexo 24 configurator. Only for professionals in the flexographic prepress.

Flexo 24 is online, agile service for the flexo industry, read this article, the next step in innovation is already here: it is the 1-bit TIFF, called “LEN file” by Esko, the leading company for flexo software and hardware.

PRO TIP

1-bit TIFF is the file format that:
• describes an image in the binary code. This file is suitable to image the plates directly from the RIP with Flexo 24’s technology.
• essential decodification, which is transferred to the laser for the ablation of the digital flexo plate.

ESKO IMAGING, the RIP from Esko.

Once the PDF file is uploaded in the configurator, all the graphic elements are read by the RIP.

1-bit TIFF or Esko LEN are formats that represent the image’s pixels (the elements to engrave on the plates) in the binary code, with 2 information only: on/off. These files are generated by a RIP and used for the imaging of flexo plates.

PRO TIP

The Raster Image Processor (RIP) analyses the PDF file and generates the encapsulated file for a direct transfer to ESKO’s ablation machines available in Flexo 24’s equipment. This file will be then reproduced on the plates.

What is the encapsulated 1 Bit TIFF?

These are files encapsulated inside the PDF:

• they are made up only from black and white information. They contain rastered graphic elements, with dot shape, angles and different compensation curves (DGC) that must be necessarily considered, and any other technology from the RIP that generated them.
• they can be considered as a digital “film”. Graphic elements and screened objects are reproduced on the digital flexo plates exactly as they are incorporated in the PDF file.

In order to be used with the Flexo 24 tools they:

• should be encapsulated in PDF files
• should be one file for each color separation
• should not be multi-page.

This file encoding must be set correctly, as it might disinhibit the options set in our Flexo 24 configurator while the order is being processed:

1. screen ruling,
2. engraving angle
3. compensation curve (DGC).

Some parameters should always be set from the configurators::

• resolution (selected value in the configurator and set value in your RIP must be the same)
• printing direction: front or reverse.

PRO TIP

Default values of the RIP Imaging Engine are also disinhibited:

1) screened dots shape, preset as “circular”.

2) minimum bump-up value, essential to avoid smallest dots from dropping. This depends from type of substrate, substrate-ink combination and screen count.

Why using a 1-bit TIFF file?

The main benefit of using this format is that it enables Flexo 24 to image flexo plates with the RIP and the values from the customer’s printing system while:

• reducing time for realization of the PDF.
• granting an exact combination of the values from the customer’s printing system.

Encapsulated files should be managed by flexo pre-press professionals.

How to set Esko Imaging Engine to create files encapsulated in PDF?

Various RIP computer software are available to manage and create LEN files, Flexo 24 uses Esko Imaging Engine. This system is specific for flexo and generates the PDF file with 1-bit TIFF and LEN already encapsulated.

Here follow the instructions if you are using this RIP and want to generate a 1-bit TIFF or LEN encapsulated in PDF.

In case of other RIP systems, please check the matching featuresi.

PRO TIP

The PDF output features – compensation curves (DGC), dot shape, and others – are usually available in all the most advanced RIP systems, though some of these features may vary according to the companies that produce them. To set the correct parameters please contact your reference person

1. “Right reading” print.

Film or paper image should be read normally, from left to right and top to bottom, as we indicate here:

2. Output format.

Flexo 24 only accepts PDF files, so compression must be CCCIT4 with a maximum value.

3. Resolution.

In case of a plate with resolution 2540 or 4000 dpi, the value set in our Flexo 24 configurator must absolutely match the value that was set in Imaging Engine or in the RIP system.

PRO TIP

If the resolution value set in the 1-bit TIFF does not match the one you set in the configurator, some moiré patterns or strange effects may occur.

When uploading to the Flexo 24 system the 1-bit TIFF files encapsulated in PDF, all the features in the configurator, though they can be still selected, are dishinhibited:

• screen ruling,
• engraving angle,
• dot gain compensation curve (DGC) value,
• type of dot,
• bump-up value.

PRO TIP

Only print type (reverse/front) and resolution will be conserved. So when your file is generated, its settings must consider all the above mentioned parameters.

>> We suggest that the LEN files should be managed only by experts in the flexo pre-press field. <<

Advanced technology features for skilled professionals under their responsibility.

If you decide to use a file encapsulated in PDF, we remind you that you are responsible for:

• wrong bump-up values (small dots dropping),
• unsuitable DGC values,
• screened dots shape and angles not suitable for flexo,
• mismatch of the rastered file resolution encapsulated in PDF,
• resolution selected in the Flexo 24 configurator.

Flexo 24’s service is completely digital and adds new features to improve the quality of the technology offered to customers.

Start now and place your order with the encapsulated file: get your plates!

Sustainable packaging is now available for all flexo companies. Take action now and preserve our environmental resources for the future generations.

Flexo 24 sustains innovation for environmental sustainability for the production of the photopolymer plates. Today more than before, saving our resources and preserving our planet are social issues also for the flexo companies in Flexible Packaging. In Flexo 24’s BLOG, from the link “News”, you can find out some other articles about flexo market and packaging.

The market is ready to require the new packaging made from eco-friendly materials.

As we already discussed on our Twitter profile: the demand for flexo systems plates to print on eco-friendly substrates is going to increase.

New research shows the public “still confused” about recycling! Give them the RIGHT opportunity to choose #packaging correctly @theFlexo24 https://t.co/QGdQpuZdNe
— Flexo24 (@theFLEXO24) February 28, 2020

Innovia and Wildcorn developed and put on the market a 100% recyclable, sustainable packaging.

The two German companies Wildcorn GmbH and Innovia Films LTD of CCL Industries associated to produce a 100% recyclable and sustainable packaging for the Wildcorn Bio Popcorn snack varieties and launched in ALDI’s mass retail market their zero impact popcorn bag.

The new BOPP film Propafilm™ Strata by Innovia is the standalone monofilmic solution to be used in the sustainable packaging laminate constructions to be ‘recycle ready’ in those countries equipped with the infrastructure to recycle polypropylene films.

PRO TIP

To make the packs for the Wildcorn product range, a lamination of Propafilm™ Strata and a white cavitated OPP was used. The resulting pack is a perfect container for
• aroma,
• mineral oils,
• and oxygen.

Even at high humidity levels, the pack allows increased shelf life and reduced food waste.

The high barrier Propafilm™ Strata by Innovia is glossy and suitable for food contact as it is chlorine free. It can be used for a wide range of applications in different markets and it can also be printed, which is really revolutionary for this kind of recyclable material.

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Who are the innovators of this sustainable and printable packaging film?

Innovia Films LTD is a biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film producer. The company is a leader in the market of labels, security films, high-performance glossy films and tobacco overwrap. The international manufacturer has more than 1200 employees around the world and the production plants are in Australia, Belgium, Mexico and United Kingdom.

Wildcorn GmbH was founded in Berlin in 2016 and produces 100% organic snacks. The company started a sustainability program since 2017 through the partnership with Mellifera, the German organization dedicated to protecting bees and promoting the use of agricultural resources to restore and maintain the local ecosystems, for example by planting flowers.

The 100% recyclable and sustainable packs for organic popcorns made with the Innovia film were tested by Interseroh, an independent German recycling and consulting company that confirmed them as completely recyclable and awarded them with the certification ‘Made for recycling’.

Innovia Films and the German snack producer Wildcorn supported by Interseroh worked together to introduce in the packaging and flexo market a 100% recyclable and sustainable food pack

Order and receive your plates with Flexo 24 to print on this innovative film.

DHL Shipment Track OF Flexo 24 shipment with the tracking number that you receive for your order, your package. USE IT TO TRACK YOUR ORDER.

(CHECK THE LATEST DHL UPDATE HERE)

You can purchase your digital flexo plate from Flexo 24 using the best payment methods available today, Stripe, read here. Your order will be processed as fast as possible and your package will be handled to DHL courier. From that moment your tracking number will be released and sent you by e-mail.

How to track my order with DHL?

DHL is the global courier for shipping from Italy to abroad. Follow a few easy steps to track your DHL package in real time:

1. open the page “Track your shipment”.
2. Enter your tracking number (for example 1234567).
3. Press on “track”.

After a few seconds some clear and detailed information about your shipment will be displayed.

PRO TIP

See further information by clicking “All shipment updates”.

Just like Flexo 24, DHL aims to customer’s satisfaction and offers some other useful information such as:

• a page dedicated to DHL alerts, click here.
• The page to be contacted by the DHL customer's service.
• And the brand new DHL service: Online CHAT for customer.

BOOK A COLLECTION with your courier from Flexo 24’s office, once your order is ready.

Flexo 24 provides customers with the opportunity to collect their orders through their courier, during normal office hours: from 8.30 am to 12.30 am and from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm.

PICKUP AT HEADQUARTERS.

On the last page, before purchase, choose "PICKUP AT HEADQUARTERS." and no shipping cost will be attributed, also visible in the receipt.

SEND YOUR SUBSCRIPTION COURIER.

In addition to choosing the item, as shown in the previous point, it is necessary:

• add NOTE IN YOUR ORDER before proceeding with your purchase, writing, "Pickup at your location with ASSIGNED PORT (Name of your carrier + YOUR CUSTOMER CODE)."
• personally contact your courier for a pickup request at our location at Via Giorgione, 8. 31056 Roncade, Treviso.
• forward the waybill to the administration in the case of TNT and for couriers that require it.
  

NOTE: Before placing the order be sure your account is valid for collections also in foreign countries.

Order your plates from Flexo 24,
you can track your order in real time!

DHL LATEST UPDATE

Before proceeding with the order, we recommend checking the notices published on the DHL official website following links:

• Alerts of global warnings
• Messages of globals updates

Photopolymer in flexo printing: origins of the most used printing technique. Flexo 24 gets you the latest technologies to ORDER the best flexo plates! NOW!

The name flexography itself comes from the flexibility of the relief plate which is used in flexo printing. Flexography is a direct rotary letterpress printing similar to typography but direct print, and employs resilient raised-image printing plates made of rubber or other light-activated resins.

Flexography (or flexo printing) is mostly used for printing different kind of packaging, flexible Packaging or self-adhesive labels and typically employs a flexible printing plates which has prominent characters engraved on it.

(Flexography timeline: from its origin in 1857 to 1985).

Moving forward of 200 years means using up-to-date technology thanks to www.flexo24.com. Try it!

The most important feature of flexo printing is flexibility, which allows flexo to print on almost any kind of substrate:

• paper,
• plastic,
• cellophane,
• metallic films.

Flexo is widely used for printing on non-porous substrates, which are mostly employed for food packaging.

What is the story of flexo printing and its main features?

Early stage of flexo printing.

The first flexo type printing presses were patented in the late 19^th century.

At first, flexo printing was rudimentary in quality because of

• limitations in ink control (they smeared easily)
• and in rubber printing plates:

The idea of using rubber printing plates originated in the US 70 years before its actual use for commercial aim and might have been inspired by a rotary printing machine used for tapestry.

The first rotary press with rubber plates was employed by a paper bag printing company - the Bibby, Baron & Sons, today known as Welton Bibby & Baron.

They used inks made of dyes and sugar dissolved in water, but since water-based inks smeared easily the device was called “Bibby’s Folly”, and some years later it was defined as “a monstrosity from a mechanical as well as an ink standpoint”.

But it was only the first rudimentary attempt to flexography.

The first technological improvement: aniline printing.

In 1905, C.A. Holweg ( a French company from Alsace, Lorraine) developed a printing press which used a synthetic aniline dye dissolved in alcohol to print on paper bags. This was the beginning of the aniline process.

Since these inks dried very fast Holweg managed to attach the press to a bag-forming machine, giving birth to the first continuous operation for printed paper bags.

• Hence he received British patent no. 16519 for the first aniline press
• and after World War I he started to sell and export his printing presses to US.

In 1928 Potdevin produced a different kind of aniline printing press: plates were mounted on canvas and held in place on the cylinder by a shafts and reels system.

The introduction of corrugated boards: new market perspectives.

At the beginning of last century, corrugated board was introduced in packaging market..

• Langston found his way in a combination of rubber plates, oil-based inks and corrugated cardboard; although this combination cannot be considered the first example of flexo printing, it still can be considered as the first step leading to it and one of its leading market.
• In 1909 the first plates made of vulcanized rubber were created to print on corrugated cardboard.

In 1914 the Interstate Commerce Commission declared corrugated board as an official packaging material because of “its protective capabilities similar to [those] of wood”; this affirmation caused a decreasing demand for wood packaging and a boom in corrugated board packaging, which also meant an increasing demand for its printing.

The development of flexo printing machines’ market.

At first there were two different kind of flexo printing machines:

• the stack type (sold by Holweg or Windmoeller & Hoelscher)
• and the central impression type (sold by Strachan and Henshaw).

However, since flexo printing machines had an easy design and construction, many printers tried to build they own printing machines – as well as they tried to mix their own inks and prepare their own rubber plates, all factors which leaded to a poor quality printing.

The “do-it-yourself” period went on until 1935.

The first printing machines were extremely messy, and that was also their main problem. Being no ink metering mechanism inks splashed everywhere and pooled on the floor; the situation was awkward for the printing operator as well, as it was potentially dangerous. A rough ink metering was accomplished by increasing or decreasing the pressure between the inking roll and the fountain roll (both were usually made of rubber) and the excess of ink flowed back into the ink pan.

The inked roller transferred the ink to the printing plate, which in turn passed the ink to the web in what was known as “kiss impression”.

There was no device to control ink circulation, and printing machines hadn’t any kind of splash guards either.

"Gummidruck" and the plummeting of printing sales.

From 1915 the future of flexo printing started to take shape.

Papers with new different properties started to spread:

• greaseproof,
• waterproof,
• and alkali-proof paper.

allowed to pack products which had been impossible to pack before, for example meat and soap, and increased the surfaces available for flexo printing.

During that period cellophane was introduced by DuPont and became the first non-absorbent packaging on the market. Water-based inks were left aside because aniline inks proved to fix better on surfaces, improving printing quality.

Yet aniline inks raised a big issue: aniline was toxic and Gummidruck was mainly employed in printing food packaging. In the Fourties, the American FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) forbade the use of aniline ink in food packaging and the markets plummeted.

A technological turning point: from "Gummidruck" to Flexography.

Flexo printing was in the edge of fading until 1949, new:

• safe
• and nontoxic

inks were allowed for food packaging printing, which made flexo printing available again.

TODAY WE CALL IT FLEXOGRAPHY.

In spite of the FDA’s decision, flexo market was still limping along slowly. Printers realized that costumers needed a new name for gummidruck, so that it wouldn’t remind them of toxic inks.

After a poll in 1951, conducted by the Mosstype Corporation’s president Franklin Moss, the process received many possible names and among them “flexograph” was a possible choice. Finally, by the end of October 1952 the 14^th Packaging Institute Forum, which took place in Commodore Hotel in New York City, chose the name “Flexography” for the process.

Flexo today: an evolving technology.

Although until the Nineties Flexography was less precise or in some cases like Offset printing it still has some interesting features, as it allows:

• to use a wider range of inks, also water-based inks,
• to print on a wider variety of packaging materials, such as plastic, ALU, cartons and acetate films;
• to shorten production time and cost thanks to low viscosity inks, which dry faster.

One century after its birth and alternating development, flexography is an effective and still growing printing method, as well as the most flexible.

From 1990 important advances have been made, positively affecting the quality of:

• flexo printing machines,
• printing plates (It appears the photopolymer in flexo printing),
• printing unities,
• drying methods,
• different types of ink, of which are mainly used:
  
  • solvent
  • and water-based inks,
  • UV inks
  • and electron beam inks.

All these positive features matches with practicality, production speed and moderate investments – more than offset printing..

Towards innovation: an ongoing job.

Most recent advances in flexo are connected to photopolymer plates regarding:

• their materials;
• how they are produced.

Companies such as Asahi Photoproducts, Kodak, Dupont, MacDermid pioneered plates production and produced important progresses in:

• digital flexo plate
• faster processing and washout
• reprographic screening techniques to get higher tonal values.

All these innovations allows flexo to grow and rule in many printing branches such as

• labels and,
• packaging,
• new materials such as cartons.

Lately the direct-to-plate digital systems support a better images reproduction and reduce response time from computer to printing proof and final printing.

Laser-engraved anilox rolls contributed to improve printing quality thanks to their control on ink quantity transfer.

Obtain high detailed print colour image is now possible with some of the most sophisticated printers – with the support of a skilled operator – allows to reach high-level technology quality.

An important development is the still-growing ability to reproduce higher tonal values, giving another solution to the dot gain compensation typical of the flexo print.

Flexo 24: flexo’s future in innovations.

Thanks to the experience gained since 1978 by Nu-Maber, leading company in flexography , Flexo 24 was born in 2018 as the first e-commerce in the world for online platemaking.

It's the flexo service leads to a fully digital world, which gains a fast, intuitive and high-quality technology beyond comparison.

Start now and become a Flexo 24 customer: create your own plate!