Flexographic printing VS offset printing
Date: Aug 09 2024 From: Star Color
There are many comparisons between flexographic printing and offset printing. Flexographic printing has gained people's approval because it uses water-based ink, which is more environmentally friendly. Offset printing cannot be ignored because of its lower printing cost. Below, we will compare the differences between these two printing methods in detail.
1、 Material adaptabilityFlexographic printing: It has strong material adaptability and can print almost all types of materials, including paper, plastic films (such as PE, PP, PET, etc.), cardboard, metal foil, etc. Especially for materials that require printing on curved or irregular surfaces, such as labels, hoses, plastic bags, etc., flexographic printing exhibits unique advantages. Its soft layout can tightly adhere to various shapes of substrates, achieving high-quality printing effects.
Offset printing: mainly suitable for printing on hard paper and cardboard materials, such as books, magazines, picture books, packaging boxes, etc. On hard substrates, offset printing can exhibit extremely high printing accuracy and color reproduction. However, on materials with soft or irregular surfaces, the adaptability of offset printing is relatively weak.
2、 Printing qualityFlexographic printing: Although it has a faster printing speed, it has lower requirements for color quantity and color reproduction compared to offset printing. This is mainly because the dot restoration and color control accuracy of flexographic printing may not be as precise as those of offset printing. In addition, the stability of printing quality in flexographic printing may also be affected to some extent, such as difficulty in controlling ink depth.
Offset printing: Known for its precise overprinting, good dot reproduction, rich colors, distinct layers, and strong three-dimensional effect. Offset printing can accurately reproduce multiple colors, achieve high-quality printing effects, and meet high requirements for product packaging, publications, etc.
3、 Application scopeFlexographic printing: widely used in the field of packaging printing, especially for flexible packaging materials that require large-scale, high-efficiency, and low-cost printing, such as food packaging bags, pharmaceutical packaging bags, plastic bags, etc. In addition, flexographic printing is also commonly used in label printing, commercial printing (such as business cards, flyers, etc.), and card and greeting card production.
Offset printing: occupies an important position in packaging printing, not only suitable for long format printing (such as large quantities of books, magazines, etc.), but also for short format printing. At the same time, offset printing is widely used in the printing of various publications, such as books, magazines, picture books, etc.
4、 CostFlexographic printing: It is usually cheaper than offset printing, mainly due to the relatively lower equipment and material costs of flexographic printing. In addition, the advantages of flexographic printing in terms of printing speed and material utilization also help to reduce overall printing costs. However, it should be noted that in some situations where high-quality printing effects are required, flexographic printing may not be able to completely replace offset printing.
Offset printing: Although the initial investment may be higher (such as equipment purchase, installation and debugging costs), due to its efficient printing speed and high-quality printing effect, it may have better cost-effectiveness in the long run. Especially in large-scale, high-quality printing projects, offset printing often provides a more economical and efficient solution.
5、 Ink usageFlexographic printing: mainly uses environmentally friendly inks such as water-based ink or UV ink. These inks have the characteristics of good leveling performance, fast drying speed, and moderate adhesion, which can better adapt to the process requirements of flexographic printing. However, it should be noted that water-based inks may require additional treatment to enhance adhesion when printing on some non absorbent substrates.
Offset printing: mainly uses oil-based ink or UV ink, etc. These inks have the characteristics of high viscosity, strong adhesion, and bright colors, which can better adapt to the high-precision and high color reproduction requirements of offset printing. Meanwhile, oily ink may generate certain VOCs emissions during the drying process, so environmental protection issues need to be taken into account during use.
Huizhou StarColor Technology mainly produces a series of high-end water-based inks, water-based plastic inks, and water-based gloss oils suitable for flexographic printing. These products are widely used in various fields such as food packaging, diaper printing, plastic film printing, etc., and have been well received by the market for their excellent high temperature resistance, low temperature resistance, friction resistance and other characteristics. The company has also launched the
SC3000 series water-based ink for cardboard box printing, which is specially designed for printing materials such as cardboard boxes, kraft paper, corrugated paper, etc. It has the characteristics of high concentration and low viscosity, and can meet the personalized needs of different customers
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