PrintPack 2025: Apex, DIC, Flexure, and Pinmark collaborate to showcase flexo prowess

In a rotogravure-dominated market for the flexible packaging industry, Apex International aims to demonstrate flexo print capability with their genetic transfer technology (GTT) aniloxes. The company approached Flexure Print N Pack to act as the print technology partner, alongside Pinmark Block and DIC India, who became the prepress technology and ink technology partners, respectively.  

As packaging graphics in the flexible packaging industry become more complex, the need to reproduce print quality similar to or better than that of rotogravure and digital presses has increased. Jainam Shah, managing director of Flexure Print N Pack said, “Modern consumer product company expectations have driven the design of flexible packaging products. The quality of flexo print products is determined by collaboration between pre-media, prepress, and pressroom companies, as reflected in the printed samples.”

The print runs at Flexure Print N Pack’s manufacturing facility was carried out with traditional screening (a combination of amplitude and frequency modulation) and hybrid screening. Flexo print resolutions from 150 to 208-lpi were demonstrated with traditional screening, while screen rulings equivalent to 350 lpi were achieved through digitally modulated scereening. The design layout aimed to showcase vibrant prints, offer a wider colour gamut, produce high contrast, and show fine details.  

It is a common trend in the flexo industry that as the diameter of the printed dot decreases, the tonal value of the dot increases. Shah said, “Flexure demonstrated that tonal value increments can be kept within tolerances, regardless of the screen rulings. Major flexo challenges, such as bridging, dot deformation, halo, ghosting, feathering, and trailing edge voids, were overcome in the production of the prints.”