Multi-color separation printing technology in packaging printing
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A product, especially a newly introduced product, is first shown to the customer for its packaging appearance. Whether the packaging of the product is good or bad, whether the color matching is harmonious, directly stimulates the customer's first sense, determines whether it is purchased, and determines the survival fate of the product. It can be seen that packaging printing has become the most direct factor in determining the fate of products.
In packaging printing, pay special attention to the ability to express colors. Usually, in order to meet the color requirements of the design, a spot color is required. When printing a spot color, a special ink supply device is required. In the case where the ink supply device of the printing machine is limited, only one ink supply device can be cleaned, and ink replacement is required to achieve the requirement of providing a spot color, which not only causes The waste of raw materials such as unused ink is also caused by the need to clean the ink fountain and the ink roller, resulting in wasted time. To avoid this problem, some companies conduct related research and experiments. After years of development, multi-color separation technology has been produced, and the company can use this technology instead of spot color printing. The multi-color separation technology uses a variety of “primary colors” to achieve the effect of printing a spot color when used less or without a spot color, which can reduce costs, reduce the process of cleaning the ink supply device of the printer, and improve work efficiency. . Let's discuss this technique together.
First, the use of multi-color separation technology manufacturers and their characteristics
Here, take flexo as an example and make a brief introduction.
The six inks used in the six-color separation technique are: CMY+RGB six colors, and the K color is removed. The color space of the CMY tri-color representation formed by Opaltone is shown in the figure above. When the six-color separation technique is used in flexo printing, large dot gain will not occur and the required high density value will be obtained. And when using a sleeve plate, registration is not difficult. In color printing, no black version can save a lot of cost, reduce the preparation time of the work, and can achieve the required effect of the design, that is, meet the standardization requirements, accurately copy the maximum saturated color, and not lose the color gamut range. However, a new standard for flexographic seven-color separation technology has been established. In the seven-color technology, a black ink is added to the six-color technology.
The inks used for high fidelity printing are: C, M, Y, K and two or four color inks. The seven-color inks used in the HIFI system are: C, M, Y, K and R, G, B. The popular Hexachrome system uses a six-color separation technique using inks C, M, Y, K, and green and orange. The Hexachrome system is a stand-alone system with its own support base and its own print profile and Pantone color guide.
The HIFI color system is designed for customer specific requirements and design requirements without increasing costs. Print more saturated colors by comparing them to the larger color space displayed on the screen. The Hexachrome system prints up to 90% of the color of the spot colors in Pantone, and can print 1000 spot colors at the same time, reducing the cost of decorative inks and eliminating the cost of cleaning the inking unit, and printing in small quantities. In it, it can show its advantages. The Hexachrome system can also be converted to traditional four-color printing with a small change as needed. The two additional colors in the Hexachrome system print more saturated and brighter colors than four-color printing, improving picture quality and providing high-quality print quality, making it harder to print green and orange. The skin color exhibited by CMYK can be more vividly expressed with the Hexachrome system.
HexWare software.
HexWare software has two parts: HexImage and HexVector. Hexlmage is a plug-in for PhotoShop. The function is to convert the image conversion of RGB or Lab color space into Hexachrome's six-color image. HexVector is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that handles Hexachrome colors in the graphics section.
Second, the reasons for using multi-color separation printing technology
We know that in color separation plate making, the usual method is to divide the original into four-color plates: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). Knowledge of color: The color space formed by CMYK is the smallest, and it is difficult to accurately copy the colors displayed on the screen. In packaging printing, in order to overcome this deficiency and achieve a certain design effect, it is necessary to use a lot of spot colors. As a result, many companies are considering adding a variety of inks for printing, as in the proofing process, not only limited to four inks, but also produced multi-color separation printing technology for printing production. What are the benefits of using multi-color separation printing technology?
1. Increase the gamut range
Using six- or seven-color plates, the color space that can be described by printing is larger than that of traditional four-color printing, which can significantly improve the image printing effect, which is impossible with just four plates. From the figure, we can clearly feel that after using four colors, six colors, seven colors, the color gamut range of its performance changes, the color of the details that can be expressed increases, and some design effects in packaging printing can be realized. .
2. Reduce costs
The use of multi-color separation technology can be based on the true reproduction of color, the clarity and quality of the picture comparable to offset printing, and the possibility of greatly reducing the cost of packaging printing and reducing costs.
In packaging printing, according to the design requirements, it must be printed in a special color. After using the multi-color separation technology, adding two or three "primary colors" will be able to print most of the spot color (generally up to 90%), showing a larger color gamut. With spot color inks, it is possible to require three or more ink supply devices. In a commonly used eight-color (flexo) press, only up to eight ink supply units can be provided. If more than one "primary color" is loaded into these ink supply devices, the printing machine does not need to change the printing plate and change the ink supply device ink frequently because of the need to add a spot color, which reduces the production of multiple printing plates and cleaning. The cost of the ink supply device also reduces the time required for printing. [next]
Third, the limitations of multi-color separation printing technology
However, multi-color separation technology also has its limitations.
1. Registration and color reproduction problems
In color printing, there is a registration problem. The more color separation plates you use, the greater the difficulty factor of registration, which will affect the final image. With the multi-color separation technology, a certain spot color will be overprinted with two to four colors, which will undoubtedly increase the registration difficulty factor than the only printed spot color. Therefore, when using multi-color separation technology, it is necessary to have a precise registration technology and registration device. At the same time, after solving the overprint problem of the spot color, it is also necessary to accurately reflect the tone value of the spot color. Due to the inevitable errors in printing presses and printing plates, it is not easy to take into account the various quality influencing factors. Therefore, it is not easy to print the spot color existing in the picture with color separation technology, and it is impossible to easily realize color management.
2. Anilox roller
The printing machine used for flexo printing generally uses a short ink path system, and its ink supply system, the main component is an anilox roll, which transfers ink through an anilox roll.
The control of the amount of ink transferred is achieved by changing the shape, size and depth of the anilox roll. Therefore, in flexo printing, the requirements for the anilox roll are relatively high. Since each set of ink supply devices corresponds to one anilox roll, this requires the use of a large number of anilox rolls. In the four-color flexo, only four anilox rolls are required, and in the multi-color separation technique, it is necessary to use 6 or 7 anilox rolls at the same time. The number of anilox rolls used has increased, which undoubtedly increases the wear and tear on them. During the use and storage process, the maintenance and maintenance of the anilox rolls need to be strengthened.
3. Other aspects
In addition, there are some doubts about the use of multi-color separation technology:
1 Under the emphasis of the picture, what is the specific amount of pure orange or pure green added?
2 Is it the majority of the pictures, the emphasis of the part does need to use the new multi-color separation technology to get it?
3 Can you achieve: Even with traditional CMYK four-color printing, can you improve the printing effect?
4 In this way, will you lose the small dots in the bright part of the picture?
Fourth, summary
In short, the advantages and limitations of using multi-color separation technology are coexisting. However, we should see that multi-color separation technology is developed in accordance with the design requirements, so its positive factors are also significant, especially in joint printing, adding one more ink supply device for different design requirements. It is unrealistic and unscientific. The use of multi-color plate printing will bring a lot of convenience in actual production. At the same time, this technology can be used for label printing on narrow format presses. It is undeniable that using multi-color separation technology will increasingly show its charm!