Analysis of Direct/Indirect Offset Printing Characteristics of Corrugated Board (I)

First, the characteristics of direct offset printing corrugated board

The direct offset printing technology of corrugated board has gradually matured with the development of new types of fine corrugated cardboard, special blankets and inks. Offset printing is the most popular and most mature printing method in China, and the quality of printing is also widely recognized. We believe that this direct offset printing method will become a very strong marketing tool in China. However, this new technology is currently only applicable to fine corrugated cardboard, especially G-type and F-type corrugated cardboard.
Corrugated board direct printing has the advantages of high production efficiency, low material consumption, low production cost, large product specification, wide application range, high strength of carton, neat appearance, and favorable environmental protection, and is the main process of corrugated box printing. The global demand for this technology shows that it is increasingly accepted in offset printing and flexo printing. Even in the future, the print quality that can not be achieved by flexographic printing can be achieved in offset printing, because the letterpress printing has its limitations after all. The packaging industry continues to increase its print quality requirements. The packaging design further promotes the offset printing of corrugated board in the performance of excellent product transportation and external packaging.

Pre-printing can be processed by printing methods such as flexographic printing and gravure printing. This method can guarantee high printing quality and overprinting accuracy. The printing speed is fast and the yield is high. However, after printing, the roll print must be re-formed and the corrugated cardboard should be put on. The production line is double corrugated, so the cutting precision and requirement of the cutting device on the corrugated board production line are high, and the method is suitable for the same quantity of products, if the product variety is large, and the batch size of the single product is not large, Preprinting is not ideal.

Corrugated carton industry in China is familiar with printing methods for printing corrugated and flexo-printed corrugated cartons, and the application is common, but it is relatively unfamiliar to preprinting and offset printing. However, with the gradual perfection of the market and the gradual maturity of the process, direct offset printing has a good market due to the excellent quality of its own four-color printing and the development of modern offset printing technology in the field by manufacturers. prospect.

Offset can benefit from the following two aspects in the direct color printing of corrugated board:

First, the successful development of new types of corrugated board has made important contributions to the direct offset printing of corrugated board.

Secondly, offset printing meets the need for the development of color printing on corrugated board, and fine corrugated cardboard is also suitable for direct printing on offset printing machines, in which G-type and F-type corrugated cardboard have good stability and can also be printed in the field. In particular, offset presses are now equipped with offset printing units and are no longer used for printing. This is also more conducive to the development of direct offset printing of corrugated board.

Second, the advantages of direct offset printing corrugated board

With the development of offset printing direct corrugated board technology, it will replace flexo printing in certain areas of corrugated box printing. Figure 1 is a comparison of the quality and cost distributions of direct corrugated printing of corrugated board with offset and flexographic and offset offset printing. As can be seen from Figure 1, direct offset printing is better than flexo printing and the cost is lower. In terms of quality and cost, direct offset printing is between flexo printing and offset printing between two processing methods.

Figure 1 Comparison of cost and quality in three ways

Relative to the traditional color flexo printing process, direct offset printing has obvious advantages:

1 excellent print quality, can print very fine text and lines.

2 The printing cost is low, the conventional PS plate making process is used for offset printing, and the high standardization of offset printing helps to reduce the production cost.

3 various special promotional information can be printed to improve performance.

4 It takes a short time to set up the machine, and the short version is more economical.

Compared with the processing method of offset printing with cotton paper and corrugated paper, the advantages of offset printing directly with corrugated cardboard are as follows:

1 The cost of confrontation is saved, and the reduction of the process leads to a corresponding reduction in material waste.

2 The amount of paper added is relatively small

3 Because no additional work process is required, the entire printing process time is relatively shortened and the efficiency is improved.

(to be continued)