Africa Print regional expos will provide an opportunity for printers in the regions looking to expand their business with the potential of digital production. The expo will focus on the innovative and cost-effective capabilities of short-run, variable data and personalized print as well as providing visitors with the latest developments and trends in the global industry. An extensive marketing campaign will ensure that visitors to the regional expos will include print industry representatives as well as end users and influential decision makers. Africa Print will aim to educate and inspire all visitors on the powerful capabilities and commercial benefits of digital print, in its entirety.
2018 Expo’s include:
DURBAN – 7-8 February 2018 at Durban ICC
CAPE TOWN – 14-15 March 2018 at the CTICC
ZAMBIA – 6-7 June 2018 at Mulungushi International Convention Centre (MICC)
Africa Print JOHANNESBURG 12-14 September 2018 at Gallagher Convention Centre
X-Rite Incorporated and its subsidiary Pantone have extended the eXact portfolio of handheld spectrophotometers to include a spot color tone value (SCTV) feature that supports the latest
ISO 20654 standard.
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Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division’s Flenex FW water-washable plates and Flenex C-Touch 2530 Water-Wash Flexo Plate Processor provide ultra-high quality and significant cost-savings to Four Lakes Label, a Sun Prairie, Wisconsin-based division of Western States Envelope & Label and provider of labels, tags, and other printing products.
“Flenex has transformed our business,” said Ryan Nelson, imaging manager, Four Lakes Label. “We are experiencing enhanced print capability, and our Flenex plates are consistently holding a .08 percent dot, up to a 95 percent dot linear. This results in extended color gamut and additional detail in highlight and quarter-tone values, which all but eliminates prep-manipulation for minimum dot. With 175 lpi, one percent dot, and superb dot structure, Flenex delivers consistent ultra-high quality prints.”
Flenex FW provides the highest flexo print quality at the fastest production times, while significantly lowering cost-in-use compared to thermal, solvent, or other water-wash technology.
“With Flenex, we are making plates in about 32 minutes, compared to more than 45 minutes with our previous thermal technology; that’s 25 percent faster with Flenex,” added Nelson. “And we now have consistency, reliability, and assurance we are going to get the exact same plate today, tomorrow, and three months from now.”
Unmatched image quality has provided Four Lakes Label a competitive advantage in producing food and medical labels across a range of 85 stocks, including reflective, metallic, semi-gloss, matte, and film.
With their previous technology, Nelson said they could only hold a tonal range between a seven percent dot, up to 90 percent, and anything outside of that range basically broke-apart. They also experienced ‘scum-dots’ which gave the appearance of lint or dirt in the print, when running on-press.
Nelson continued, “Extending our color range with Flenex also helps us with highlights, and now we can hit finer dots, and have higher gradation, which was previously unattainable. The flat top-dot with Flenex allows high gradation, unlike a round top-dot with a thermal plate, which tends to provide poor gradation.”
With the capability of holding finer dots and better ink transfer, Four Lakes Label is decreasing their ink costs, as they are laying down less ink; and Nelson says it’s covering better.
“With the rubber-based Flenex plates, ink transfers better, and we are getting an increased print image, while using less ink. With Fujifilm inks, we are always hitting the target marks,” said Nelson.
Flenex plates eliminate the classic "back and forth" between press and pre-press.
“With the Flenex solution, we can back expose, main expose, wash out, dry, post expos,e and de-tack all with one processing unit,” he said. “We no longer have to go back and forth between an exposure unit and processor. Flenex is an easy and efficient all in one process.”
Shorter set-up times, less make ready, less material waste, and overall faster processing times all add up to a positive impact on Four Lakes Label’s bottom-line.
Flenex FW water-washable plates