The pros and cons of gravure and flexo printing involve several factors:
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Cost and Lead Time
Substrate
ink
envirnmental factor
quality
For those unfamiliar with one of these, here is a brief introduction to the flexo and gravure printing processes:
Flexo printing typically uses polymer or elastomeric image supports. this might be:
sleeve
cylinder
plate
The image carrier is engraved to create the raised design of the final desired print. The ink is then transferred from the ink tank by an anilox roller to the image carrier where it is printed onto the substrate.
Flexo printing is more commonly used on flexible plastics and other non-porous materials such as films, labels, foils and other packaging.
Flexo printing is known for producing exemplary prints with fine lines and text details.
The gravure printing process (often simply called gravure printing) is a method of gravure printing. Gravure printing works by applying ink to a substrate using a metal plate, usually mounted on a cylinder. This plate is usually made of copper or chrome.
Images or text for printing are usually laser etched onto said metal plate, a process that usually provides high quality and accurate results with good repeatability.
For more information, please visit High Speed Gravure Printing Machine.
But, before we discuss the differences, let's look at some key similarities:
Both technologies involve the manufacture of printing sleeves, cylinders and plates.
Both are capable of long-term, high-volume printing, although flexo is cost-effective for short-run printing.
Both are capable of producing extraordinary results.
Gravure image supports are generally much more expensive than flexo image supports, making the number of prints required to break out even higher. However, presses in gravure have longer run times because the cylinders do not need to be changed as frequently as in the flexographic process.
In terms of the time required to manufacture an image carrier, the lead time of gravure printing is typically 3-4 times that of flexo printing.
One of the limitations of gravure printing is that it is generally better suited to porous substrates. This is one of the reasons gravure printing is suitable for high detail printing on applications such as magazine covers.
This is not the case with flexography, whose ability to print on both porous and non-porous substrates makes the technology excellent for everything from film to paperboard. When you measure flexo versus gravure in packaging printing specifically, you will usually find that flexo wins.
Another key difference between flexo and gravure is the range of inks that flexo can print. Problems with gravure printing include the limited number of inks that are compatible with it. In most cases, flexo inks are the better choice because of the ease of printing with a variety of inks.
Gravure printing requires more ink per print, which increases printing costs.
Since gravure printing has traditionally been associated with solvent-based inks (although the capabilities of water-based inks have been developing), flexo printing is often considered a "greener" option.
When it comes to VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) issues, there are generally more flexographic printing solutions and printing operations associated with greener practices.
Gravure printing was once considered suitable for fine detail and tonal work, but with the development of flexo technology, it has further enabled printing with higher resolution and detail - making it possible to enter printing jobs previously only associated with gravure printing.
Consider the other advantages and disadvantages of gravure printing and weigh them against the slight, if any, differences in the final quality achieved with flexo printing.
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