Why use UV offset printing
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Printing quality
If UV flexo and gravure deliver excellent print quality, UV offset provides "barrier-free" quality. The quality of UV offset printing is achievable globally, and sheetfed UV offset printers have quality presses in every corner of the globe. Moreover, it is not difficult to attach a copying workshop in the factory.
Printing quality is no longer affected by the quality of the attachment (such as the dot size of the anilox roll, the hardness of the liner tape, the release of the resin plate ink, etc.). Because every link in the production chain is standardized, no matter which manufacturer, only a small amount of resources are spent, and as a result, print quality around the world is predictable.
Since most printing colleges still focus on UV offset printing as the main course, UV offset printer operators have a good printing education foundation. This allows the factory to replace or increase capacity with minimal training costs.
Process control
The standard for UV offset printing has long been popular, which allows both the supply and demand sides to establish a common understanding. Control can be done throughout the production process, from the source file to the final print result. The interpretation of quality cannot be arbitrarily defined and should be explained by common rules.
UV offset printing costs are lower
Consumables
Due to the wide adoption of a single UV offset printing technology, the cost of consumables is significantly lower than UV flexo and gravure. Some special varieties, such as the printing version, may have a price of only one-tenth of the latter under the same print quality, which has obvious advantages in short-running.
Operating
It is easy to install plates in UV offset and the plates can be used repeatedly. The printing plate is clamped to the predetermined position of the plate roller by the mechanical device, so the error is greatly reduced, the time and technical requirements are also small, and there is no additional cost, such as an adhesive tape.
It is also easy to print spot colors in a four-color combination, because UV offset printing has been standardized, so color matching can be performed when color separation. For some special spot colors, UV offset ink suppliers use global standards (Pantone, Brunner, ISO, etc.) for color matching. As all ink suppliers use standardized procedures and operational accuracy, ink waste is greatly reduced. Unlike flexo and gravure, the UV offset process allows for some flexibility in the ink delivery process. The ink path can be divided into several sections, and the ink flow can be adjusted. Advanced UV offset units like XpanndTM allow complete control of the ink flow. Therefore, the printing effect can be precisely adjusted, so that the most accurate printing quality can be achieved with a minimum amount of work.
UV offset printing is a fast-growing technology
In the process of digital printing, flexographic printing and gravure printing, UV offset printing also opens new technologies, which can also greatly promote narrow-width rotary printing.
Plate making technology
UV offset printing has been directly produced by computer for many years and has formed a recognized standard. Direct computer printing has also been available for nearly a decade, making UV offset printing profitable in short runs. The next step in the development direction will be to make reusable plates directly from the computer in order to compete with digital printing in micro-printing.
Color control
Online color control is a recognized feature of a single UV offset press. The flexibility of ink management in modern UV offset printing sets like XpanndTM and the already established color standards make online color density control possible. The automatic color adjustment function based on internationally recognized standards enables true, fully enclosed production. [NextPage]
Offset and flexo comparison
The difference between UV offset and UV flexo is mainly reflected in ink path, ink and plate technology. Due to the long ink path, UV offset printing requires a little more automated control of the ink supply process, which can include up to 16 ink rollers, dampening systems, and ink tanks. UV flexo printing requires only a relatively simple manual adjustment because its ink path is based on a single ink roller (anilox roller).
On the other hand, especially for those seeking higher quality, the use of digital imaging plates, high-quality adhesive tapes and inks also makes the production cost of UV flexo printing significantly higher than UV offset printing. UV offset and UV flexo have their own advantages and disadvantages in special printing requirements. Obviously, there is no final "victor", only the most appropriate process to adapt to different needs. Below, we provide some of the most basic comparisons, including some of the most common problems in the printing and packaging industry.
Printing range
In terms of printing range, UV flexo printing has significant advantages over UV offset printing. It can be glazed, printed in metallic colors, and can transfer ink layers from 1 to 12 microns, which can almost simulate the tactile effect of screen cylinder printing. At the same time, it can print extremely fine gradients. The UV offset ink transfer is limited to only about 2 microns, so its high quality printing advantages cannot be extended to all print jobs.
Ink conversion
Due to the short ink path, UV flexo printing can be converted faster than UV offset printing. Modern UV offset printing units such as XpanndTM can automatically clean multiple sets of printing units, greatly reducing replacement time.
Self-exposure
Compared to UV offset printing, UV flexo printing provides better self-exposure, especially in bright colors, strong colors, and strong contrast (contrast colors). In the high-gloss area, UV offset printing has certain advantages, because the smooth printing effect of UV offset printing is recognized by customers.
Printing process
Compared with UV flexo printing, the strong advantage of UV offset printing is not the difference in print quality, but the ability to meet quality requirements more simply and economically. For quality-critical jobs, the offset source for offset printing is easier to find and the printing variables are more standardized. [NextPage]
Standardization
UV offset printing has long been ingrained in global standards, and UV flexo printing relies mostly on local standards. Both printing methods yield similar print results, but UV offset printing has a wider range of applications and lower costs.
Short-run printing: new jobs
The modern UV offset printing group can provide a fast conversion printing combination, which can be adjusted at a low speed and quickly adjust the ink function according to the substrate, so that UV offset printing and UV flexo printing are similar in terms of substrate and time loss in converting new jobs. . Although UV flexo has the advantage of a shorter ink path, UV offset printing has more flexibility in ink management. If the UV flexo process is standardized locally, the two are similar. Otherwise, UV offset printing can have a significant advantage because its standard is global and its final print results are predictable on a global scale.
Flexo printing is advantageous when switching inks frequently and when printing substrates are unclear, because UV offset printing sets need to coordinate ink and water balance and UV flexo printing can start printing in real time. UV offset printing has certain advantages in handling unidentified spot colors because it has achieved the most advanced standardization in the supply chain.
Short-run printing: Repeated jobs
Modern presses such as AthenaTM, I-CombatTM and XpanndTM have computer intelligence in a global or regionally standardized environment, making UV offset and UV flexo similar in repetitive jobs because most of the variables are already Handed over to the computer for control.
In some simpler configurations, UV flexo printing has significant advantages due to its short ink path and the stability of the anilox roller supply.
limitation
The limitations of UV offset are not flexible enough in repeat length dimensions because of the high price and size of the print set. Although label printers have shown from practical experience that rotary machines use 4 to 5 sets of repeat lengths, they are sufficient to cover most of today's needs. Flexo printing can print any repeat length and the investment cost is small.
The limitation of UV flexo printing is that it is printed on a rough surface such as wine label paper or recycled paper because it uses direct printing technology. UV offset printing can be printed on any substrate without increasing production costs.
Why use wet offset printing, waterless offset printing
Wet offset printing is the most common printing process in the printing industry today. The basic principle is to use the ink-and-wash balance of the printing area (ink) on the printing plate and the non-printing area (water). The key is to maintain the stability and control of the ink balance.
Waterless offset printing uses a silicon coating on the printing plate as a non-printing area to remove ink balance control and eliminate the use of water as a medium.
Printing quality
Printing without water is used to make the waterless offset printing dots sharper and perform better. Waterless offset has the ability to achieve higher line counts and contrasts.
Printing durability
Wet offset printing is more compatible than waterless offset printing. Water can be seen as a cleaning plate, ink path, a bit like a self-cleaning function when printing.
In waterless printing plates, dust and paper dust can damage the waterless offset printed silicon coating, making the selection of substrates and working environment more demanding.
In general, waterless offset printing requires more demanding printer maintenance and operator skill. It is a slight mistake in the process, and the print quality may also vary greatly. The problem of ink temperature, although after years of development, waterless offset printing is still a very complicated process. Every process requires perfect control to achieve high print quality.
Claim
At printing speeds above 150 meters per minute, wet offset printing requires a chill roll that cools the heat accumulated in the printing set, which can affect the performance of the ink and the density of the ink.
Waterless offset printing requires a chill roll cooling ink path at any printing speed and cooling the plate at the center of the plate roll because the temperature of the ink is extremely sensitive to controlling print quality. The operating temperature of the ink is limited to a very narrow range of only 3 to 4 °C. Depending on the supplier, above or below this temperature, the ink becomes unstable and the print quality is affected. In order to achieve better control of printing results, air conditioning temperature control is required in the factory. [NextPage]
Consumables
There is only one supplier for waterless offset printing plates, and there are not many ink suppliers. The suppliers of wet offset printing consumables are actually numerous.
Consumable cost
Since waterless offset printing is not much in the industry, consumable costs are significantly higher than wet offset printing. In some cases, the price of inks and plates can be three times higher.
Waste when adjusting the machine
Waterless offsets claim to reduce machine waste by eliminating the need to handle ink balance. On the other hand, modern wet offset printing can be fully automated to adjust the ink and water treatment, which also makes the ink balance control more accurate and faster, and is also comparable to waterless offset printing. In fact, the process of controlling the ink supply will largely affect the performance of wet offset printing and waterless offset printing.
Printing on plastic substrates
Since there is no water, waterless offset printing can achieve good printing results in a short printing turnaround time, provided that conditions such as temperature and cleaning are necessary, and the basic parameters have been correctly set.
For substrates that are not known, wet offset printing still takes more time and produces more waste. When repeating the same print job on a known substrate, the advanced offset printing unit can store the existing ink parameters and can perform repeated printing with a shorter preparation time and similar to waterless offset printing.