UV FLEXOGRAPHY LABELS

Marick Labels manufacture custom printed self- adhesive labels in both forms and our friendly experts are on hand to guide you to the right solution no matter the application.

Label Printing Process

UV Flexography uses traditional plate printing process used to print labels formed of many different substrates including traditional paper in both matt and gloss finishes, cellophane, plastic and metallic films. It is particularly well suited to printing non-complex, solid colour labels for product packaging and particularly well suited to various types of food packaging.

UV Flexo label printing process has three main stages which are:

Plate making
Mounting
Label Printing

Plate Making

The first phase of printing labels is plate development. Using a light-sensitive polymer, film negatives are placed over the plate before it is exposed with UV light, hardening the polymer. The polymer hardens where there is light passing through the film forming the basis for the label printing plate.

Mounting

The plate making process is repeated for each colour to be printed, before it is combined in a cycliner and placed in the printing press. To make a complete graphic, the layered plates are consolidated to guide the colour placement on each label. These guide marks are dots and crosses and can frequently be seen on most graphical designs of your label that may be encountered in the printing process. Although it sounds complex, the Marick label printing process makes it easy and once the plate has been made and mounted, the process becomes far simpler for any future label printing requirements. This is why it is best to keep your label manufacturer consistent and repeat orders are common.

Label Printing

A UV-flexo label print is made by setting up a mirrored image of the final mounted plates. Ink is then applied via an ink roll, fuelled by various colour tanks for the standard CMYK mix. When injected against the mounted plates, the ink is applied in precisely the right combination, forming your finished design in a series of layers. A standard thickness is achieved via sophisticated ceramix or anilox rolls which ensure a smooth texture and quality finish. A blade is then used to scrape any excessive ink away from the mirror image before the image is transferred onto the label roll in the printer. The subsequent imaged labels are then dried via an automatic dryer before the label surface is safe to touch. There is also an option to cure via UV rays in which case drying is not required. This is beneficial particuarly in fast turnaround jobs.
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