Prepress

U. Günthers Flexo Breakfast Events cast a spotlight on current flexo and packaging issues

Wednesday 23. September 2020 - A chance to discuss key market and technology trends, communicate new insights from the packaging industry, facilitate an exchange of expertise among prepress specialists, flexo printers and buyers at brand owners - these were the goals U. Günther GmbH of Hamburg had in mind when the Flexo Breakfast Events series kicked off last year.

And so far, these goals have been achieved. In fact, the event has proven so successful that the event organizers at U. Günther are planning a repeat of the virtual Flexo Breakfast on the same subject for the beginning of October 2020.
The Flexo Breakfasts were originally designed and organized as face-to-face events at various locations. However, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, U. Günther was forced to forgo in-person events for a limited period and offer an online format instead. In spite of this, the analog version will be continued in small groups in compliance with the applicable Covid-19 rules in the future.
The first virtual Flexo Breakfast, focusing on the production of flexible packaging, was recently broadcasted to participants as a livestream. Eco-friendly KODAK FLEXCEL NX Ultra Plates with water-based processing from Miraclon, which are very quick to make, were chosen by U. Günther for this purpose in combination with IMPULSE SCREEN. A screening technology developed by U. Günther of Hamburg and Flexoservice Jaehde of Berlin, IMPULSE SCREEN has been market-ready since early 2020. It helps flexo printers realize moiré-free multicolor printing or print very fine halftone patterns using existing, or coarser, anilox rollers. IMPULSE SCREEN is also ideal for Expanded Color Gamut (ECG) printing.
During the virtual Flexo Breakfast a comprehensive set of comparisons illustrated the practical benefits of both FLEXCEL NX Ultra Plate technology and IMPULSE SCREEN. Among other things, it became clear how, thanks to their extremely homogeneous surface topography, high-resolution FLEXCEL NX Ultra Plates have important advantages when it comes to highlight rendition, smooth running of the press or the potential for higher production speeds. Other examples demonstrated how, when teamed up with FLEXCEL NX Ultra Plates, IMPULSE SCREEN delivers high edge definition in text and logos, reproduction “in digital-like quality” and excellent detail without visible halftone dots.
A chat feature was available throughout the Flexo Breakfast livestream, enabling participants to engage in a dialog and ask specific questions. Sustainability proved to be a very popular point of discussion, so suppliers of innovative substrates and ink manufacturers will likewise be invited to take part in upcoming events.
From live on-premises to virtual – and back again
“There’s one thing we’ve learned already: provided the content is well-prepared and presented in virtual space in a readily understandable way, we can still get printers, retailers and brand owners interested in actually putting it into practice,” emphasized Stefan Schneider, Sales Coordinator at U. Günther and responsible for the Flexo Breakfast Events series. “We’re receiving more and more inquiries from printers and technology leaders. Some partners have already asked us to schedule Flexo Breakfast Events at their premises in 2021. A live print test, which we were forced to postpone owing to the restrictions in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will almost certainly be among the highlights. If it’s a virtual event, we will set up a live link instead.”
Parallel to the online dates, preparations are also underway for more face-to-face events on the premises of industrial partners as soon as the Covid-19 situation permits. As U. Günther has been a member of the Global Premedia Network (GPN) since June this year, the company is simultaneously planning international events in cooperation with GPN partners.

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