Fujifilm North America’s graphic systems division has supplied Flenex FW water-washable plates and Flenex C-Touch 2530 water-wash flexo plate processor to Wisconsin-based Four Lakes Label.
Four Lakes Label, which is a division of Western States Envelope & Label, offers labels, tags, and other printing products
Fujifilm products allowed Four Lakes Label to improve image quality of the food and medical labels across a range of 85 stocks, including reflective, metallic, semi-gloss, matte, and film.
Four Lakes Label imaging manager Ryan Nelson said: “We are experiencing enhanced print capability, and our Flenex plates are consistently holding a .08% dot, up to a 95% dot linear.
“This results in extended color gamut and additional detail in highlight and quarter-tone values, which all but eliminates prep-manipulation for minimum dot.”
Flenex FW offers enhanced flexo print quality and reduces cost compared to thermal, solvent, or other water-wash technology, according to Fujifilm.
Flenex plates are said to eliminate the classic back and forth between press and pre-press.
Nelson said they could only hold a tonal range between a 7% dot, up to 90% with their previous technology.
He added: “Extending our color range with Flenex also helps us with highlights, and now we can hit finer dots, and have higher gradation, which was previously unattainable.”
The company is also decreasing their ink costs with the capability of holding finer dots and better ink transfer.
