1.   TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PHOTOPOLYMER PRINTING PLATES.

 

1.1.   Photopolymer printing plates (hereinafter referred to as plates) are made from photopolymer plates manufactured by FLINT and DuPont. The photopolymer thickness is to be specified when placing an order. If the Buyer needs to make an Order based on a photopolymer plate of a certain type, it must be specified in the Order Notes.

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1.2.   Photopolymer printing forms:

• are suitable for printing on the materials specified in the Order;

• can be used for high-quality multicolor printing;

• provide excellent ink transfer, clear image, wide range of tone gradations;

• are compatible with the ink types specified in the Order.

 

1.3.   Guaranteed reproduction of printed elements corresponds to the technical characteristics of the photopolymer plate manufacturers presented in the Referral information section.

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1.4.   Flexo.shop provides technical parameters, quality and quantity of manufactured plates in accordance with the requirements of a particular Order, which is confirmed by the Certificate of Compliance.

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1.5.   Plates production meets the requirements of a quality management system in accordance with ISO 9001: 2015.

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1.6.   After transportation, especially in the cold season, it is necessary to adapt the plate to the workshop operating temperature for at least two hours.

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1.7.   Natural wear-and-tear, namely, a decrease in the thickness and deformation of the edges of the printed elements occurs in plates under the influence of chemical and physical factors as a result of their use in printing, and this causes an increase in the screen elements area, which, in turn, leads to changes in the indicators of ink transfer and tonal reproduction values. When these signs appear, it is necessary to replace the entire set of plates in order to ensure high-quality printing.

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2.   PLACEMENT OF AN ORDER.

 

2.1.   The order is placed and confirmed by the Buyer after sign in of My Account at flexo.shop. The Buyer uses confidential data to access flexo.shop - login and password, which are used as electronic signatures.

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2.2.   To place an order for the plate production, the Buyer fills out the necessary fields of the electronic order form in My Account at flexo.shop and uploads the *.pdf original layout files.

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2.3.   When ordering, the Buyer specifies the photopolymer thickness for the plate production, the engraving resolution, the screen ruling, and the printing direction (direct or reverse). It is not allowed to have different thicknesses of photopolymer in the Order; a separate Order must be placed for each thickness.

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2.4.   The Buyer specifies the exact plate dimensions (including the required sidelines for mounting). The size of the printed page should correspond to the actual plate size including the necessary processing sidelines.

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2.5.   Distortion (plate shortening) should be done in the printing direction on the layout. Instructions for calculating the distortion are presented here.

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2.6.   A round shape of a half-tone dot is used in the plates production. Standard screen rotation angles for flexographic printing: Сyan - 7°, Magenta - 67°, Yellow - 82°, blacK - 37° The 37° angle is used for Pantone inks by default.  When placing an order for each ink you can choose the angle from the list of standard ones.

 

 Possible screen ruling for Computer-to-plate output with flexo angles:

• with 2540 dpi engraving resolution: 55, 63, 71, 79, 86, 95, 102, 110, 126, 142, 150, 157, 165, 189, 204 lines per inch.

• with 4000 dpi engraving resolution: 99, 112, 124, 136, 149, 161, 174, 198, 223, 236, 248 lines per inch.

 

Possible screen ruling for Computer-to-plate output with offset angles:

• with 2540 dpi engraving resolution: 52, 60, 67, 76, 82, 90, 97, 112, 119, 126, 134, 138, 149, 156, 163, 171, 179, 189, 199, 211 lines per inch;

• with 4000 dpi engraving resolution: 105, 119, 129, 141, 152, 176, 188, 199, 211, 217, 235, 245 lines per inch.

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By default, the standard Computer-to-Plate technology is used for engraving with a resolution of 2540 dpi: exposure by lamps and a classic amplitude-modulated halftone screen with a round dot. NExT flat-dot technology is used for 4000 lpi engraving resolution: exposure with super-powerful LEDs, a combined rasterization algorithm - an amplitude-modulated screen over almost the entire tonal range and a frequency-modulated screen in bright halftones. Additional testing will be required to select the most preferable micro-rasterization method and screen type for your printing press.

In case you need to use offset angles, non-standard rasterization algorithms, micro-rasterization of full tone area and/or half-tone dots, special HD rasters, you should indicate this in the comments to the Order and contact the Support Service.

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2.7.   The screen ruling of the printing plate for the Yellow color is automatically reduced by 15% in order to prevent the appearance of moire pattern when applying CMYK inks. In case the rasterization angle of the Yellow color is non-standard in the Order or the Buyer does not need to change the screen ruling of the Yellow color, this should be indicated in the notes to the Order.

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2.8.   For file requirements, please see the Referral Information. The files are put out from Computer-to-plate as is, the Buyer is responsible for adjusting the colors of the layout and correcting the errors. 

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2.9.   Design development, file creation, verification and adjustment of Buyer's files, testing of printing equipment, ICC profiles design, color proofing, exporting layouts to .PDF, accurate cutting of printing plates, cutting along a complex contour are considered as separate services and are paid at negotiable prices.

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2.10.   The plate size corresponds to the size of the page set in the file. The distance between significant layout elements and the plate cutting contour should be at least 5 mm for plates up to 1.7 mm thick and at least 10 mm for plates over 1.7 mm thick.

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2.11.   The cutting contour corresponds to the page sideline by default in case a precision plotter cutting of a printing plate is ordered. If cutting along the user contour is required, it must be provided additionally.