Combining numbers and flexibility, a new choice on the path of technological innovation

PART.01
Shu Rou's respective strengths
The development of digital printing, especially inkjet printing, has caused tremendous changes in the entire printing industry in recent years, directly affecting the pattern and development planning of enterprises. For label printing in the packaging and decoration printing industry, digital printing is the icing on the cake, especially digital post press efficiency technology, which replaces traditional finishing and processing techniques, and presents a 3D stereoscopic effect that can be comparable to traditional processes. It can be said to be a technological revolution and an epoch-making technological innovation.
Flexographic printing is currently the mainstream processing technology in the label printing industry. From the perspective of ink transfer method, flexographic printing machines belong to the metering ink transfer type, which ensures stable color of printed materials and is basically not affected by speed and environment. In addition, UV ink is widely used in the labeling industry, resulting in brighter colors, stable quality, and lower consumption. In addition, in recent years, digital management has been implemented for flexographic printing plate making, and many application software are developed and applied based on the characteristics of flexographic printing. Pre press digitization and digital management during the printing process in the flexographic printing field have become one of the characteristics of flexographic printing.
Compared with traditional printing, digital printing has the biggest feature that it does not need plate making, and the text or graphic information can be changed at any time during the printing process, which fully realizes variable information printing. In terms of printing quality, especially in the printing effect of color graphics and text, current digital printing technology has reached or exceeded traditional printing. From the sample analysis at the 2024 Drupa Printing Exhibition, it can be seen that the dot color saturation and dot restoration of electronic ink digital printing have surpassed traditional PS offset printing, achieving the effects of flexographic and gravure printing.

                             Figure 1: The effects of flexographic printing and inkjet printing are completely consistent
The quality of inkjet digital printing has also surpassed that of traditional screen printing. Traditional screen printing has jagged edges on the edges of graphics, text or images, which can be completely avoided in inkjet printing. The ink thickness of traditional screen printing is limited, while the ink layer thickness of inkjet printing can be adjusted and can also present 3D stereoscopic effects. Another characteristic of digital printing is that through color management, it can imitate different traditional printing methods, and its effect can be completely indistinguishable from reality. Without the use of professional tools, it is impossible to distinguish which type of printing it is (as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2).

Figure 2 shows that the effects of PS offset printing, electronic ink printing, and inkjet printing are completely consistent
PART.02
Shurou Strong Alliance
The combination of flexographic printing and digital printing (also known as hybrid printing) is a powerful combination that combines the two most advanced printing methods, leveraging their respective advantages to achieve the best visual effect. Below, we will introduce this process using several label samples from domestic and international label printing exhibitions for everyone to appreciate.
Figure 3 is a skin care lotion spray label, which is made of double transparent PET material. The label is printed in a mixed printing mode. The feathers on the label surface show a metallic tone and a sense of bulge. The theme text shows a green metallic color in the box on the matte surface. The overall label has a strong sense of three dimensionality, is simple and elegant, and has a strong shelving effect.

The label in Figure 3 is printed using flexographic printing, cold pressing, inkjet printing, and inkjet efficiency enhancement technology
The printing process of the label is: flexographic cold stamping, forming a partial silver background, then printing transparent primer ink on the surface of the metal silver foil to increase the firmness of the ink, followed by digital 7-color printing on the cold stamping surface, and then partial matte oil printing brush on the flexographic to achieve the matte effect of the text box. Finally, using digital enhancement technology, transparent varnish is sprayed on the printed graphic and text surfaces to form a 3D effect. The tone of the overall color printing part of the label is very delicate and clear, while the local gloss overlay is very accurate, making it a typical successful masterpiece of flexographic and digital printing.
Figure 4 shows a set of promotional labels at the 2024 Drupa Exhibition, printed using a combination of flexographic and inkjet printing. The labels have a rich and complex graphic and textual design, featuring light toned skies and white clouds, as well as dark toned mountain peaks, anthropomorphic animal portraits, and distinct facial tones. Such a complex layout, if printed using traditional printing methods, is prone to quality problems such as dot distortion, merging, and poor overprinting. Now, using a combination of numbers and softness, utilizing their respective characteristics, perfectly overcomes these shortcomings.

The label in Figure 4 is printed using a flexographic printing cold press and digital inkjet printing process

This label is made of white BOPP material, and the printing process is as follows: first, flexographic cold stamping is used to form a local metallic background pattern, then full-color 7-color digital inkjet printing is used to form metallic text and graphics in the cold stamping part, and finally, flexographic printing is used to apply matte oil to a large area of the plate, forming a matte label with metallic effect. This label has clear graphics and strong layering, as well as a three-dimensional effect. It is a perfect combination of materials, craftsmanship, and design, and both flexographic and digital printing reflect their respective strengths. It is a dazzling work of technology.

Figure 5 is a Chinese style shampoo label, with peach blossoms, waves, and decorations all featuring Eastern elements. The label is made of dual transparent material, and the overall graphic and text background is metallic, creating a contrast with peach blossoms and theme text, presenting a three-dimensional sense of the overall label. The printing process of this label is mainly based on digital printing. The process is as follows: first, a soft printing primer is applied to increase the firmness of the ink, followed by digital 7-color printing, then a matte oil is applied to the soft plate area, and finally, digital enhanced hot stamping is carried out to complete the entire process.

TThe label in Figure 5 is printed using flexographic printing, inkjet printing, and inkjet efficiency enhancement technology

The craftsmanship features of this label: firstly, the peach blossom tone is very delicate, with a strong sense of layering and dynamic petals; The second is that the white text is clear, without deformation or pasting, completely avoiding the sawtooth phenomenon of screen printing; The third is that the lines of digital hot stamping are neat, clean, and have a raised feeling, and the 3D effect completely avoids the defect of incomplete waste removal in traditional hot stamping. Especially the set of decorative graphics and text at the bottom of the label completely imitates the metal carving effect, with small lines and images fully reproduced, reflecting the advantages of digital hot stamping.

Figure 6 This label is another label that the author harvested from the Drupa Exhibition in 2024. This label can be said to be another typical case showing the level of inkjet printing technology combined with simultaneous interpreting traditional flexographic printing. This label is a liquor label made of double transparent PET material. The design feature of graphics and text is centered around the character, with semi transparent and fully transparent leaves as the background, and metal colored earrings and round balls on the character's head, increasing the contrast. The characters, colorful flowers, and white leaves in the text are printed using inkjet printing, while transparent petals and golden leaves are printed using flexographic printing.

Figure 6: The label is printed by flexographic printing and inkjet printing
The process is as follows: first, flexographic cold pressing is used to form silver aluminum graphic and text, then inkjet printing is used to form characters and white petals, followed by flexographic printing of transparent petals and golden leaves, and finally, partial polishing is applied to the surface of characters and colored flowers to create a glossy contrast. The eye-catching feature of this label is the tone of the character's skin, which shows that the overall tone is excessively smooth, uniform, and natural, without any local exposure of white or dark areas overlapping. This phenomenon is related to the original design of the label, as the high and low tones in digital frequency printing are the most prone to problems. However, this label successfully avoids these defects and is a label that embodies the perfect combination of digital and soft technology from the beginning of design.
We have analyzed the process flow and combined application effects of flexographic printing and digital inkjet printing using label samples from the exhibition. Practice has proven that the combination of these two printing methods is successful and yields ideal results. Digital printing technology is still rapidly developing, and we see innovative technologies at domestic and international exhibitions every year. In addition, with China's national conditions, inkjet brands are flourishing and technology is constantly innovating. Mature brands and technologies have long been popularized in the flexographic field, providing a solid industry foundation for the combination of digital and flexographic printing. For printing companies, whether it is choosing their first digital printing machine, or having a mature digital printing mode to increase the proportion of digital printing, choosing a flexible combination machine is a cost-effective choice. We look forward to this strong alliance bringing more refreshing creativity and development to the label printing industry, promoting the widespread popularity of digital printing, and adding support to the development of the label industry.