The Printing Methods Of Self-Adhesive Labels

 

1,Letterpress printing uses self-printed stickers. The printing plate is a photosensitive resin letterpress. The printed label has the advantage of full-color ink. However, the level of letterpress printing equipment varies greatly, some still use round flat letterpress presses. Some use ordinary rotary letterpress presses, and some use professional bevel, satellite or unit-type sticker printers, so they cannot be compared during the transition period.

 

2,Offset printing is the basic method of printing stickers in my country's label printing factories. Offset printing has the characteristics of beautiful graphics and rich layers. It is more suitable for mass production printing, and the printing machinery can be used for multiple machines, which is suitable for the characteristics of my country's label market. However, sheet-fed offset printing is not suitable for films with non-absorbent printing surfaces, because film labels are mostly printed roll-to-roll and require volatile dry ink. Offset printing can also print thicker plastic materials, such as in-mold labels and label stickers, but the equipment must be equipped with UV curing equipment, which requires a lot of cost.

 

3, Flexographic printing uses offset ink and UV ink, both of which do not cause environmental pollution. However, due to the flexibility of flexographic printing plate making, the color reproduction is different from gravure printing and ordinary letterpress printing.

Characteristic of flexographic printing:
(1) Plate characteristics
Soft and elastic: The plate for flexographic label printing is made of photosensitive rubber or resin material, which is soft, bendable and elastic, and the Shore hardness is generally between 25° and 60°. This feature allows the plate to fit tightly on substrates of various shapes to achieve high-quality printing effects.
High printability: The printability of flexographic plates can usually reach more than several million prints, which means that in a large number of printing tasks, the plate can maintain stable printing quality, reduce the frequency of plate replacement, and improve production efficiency.
(2) Printing process characteristics
Rapid ink control: The flexographic printing press uses anilox rollers to apply ink, with a short ink path and rapid ink control response. This allows the amount of ink transfer to be more accurately controlled during the printing process, achieving a more uniform printing effect.
Easy operation: The structure of the flexographic printing press is relatively simple, and the operation and maintenance are also easier. Printing workers can quickly get started, reduce training and debugging time, and improve production efficiency.
(3) Printing effect characteristics
Rich colors: Flexographic printing can present rich colors, including various bright colors and intermediate colors. This is due to the high saturation ink and precise printing control, which makes the printed products more vivid and realistic in color performance.
High printing precision: With the development of printing technology, the precision of flexographic printing has been continuously improved. High-quality flexographic materials and advanced platemaking technology make the printed products have higher resolution and higher printing precision, which is suitable for occasions requiring high-precision printing.
(4) Wide adaptability of substrates
Wide adaptability: Flexographic label printing is almost not restricted by the substrate material and can be printed on various substrates, such as paper, film, corrugated box, etc. This makes flexographic printing have a wide range of application prospects in the fields of packaging, labels, etc.
(5) High economic benefits
Low cost: Flexographic printing has a short platemaking cycle, simple platemaking equipment, and low platemaking costs. At the same time, due to the high degree of automation of flexographic printing, it can realize assembly line production and reduce labor costs. These factors together make the cost of flexographic printing relatively low.
High efficiency: Flexographic printing has a fast printing speed and high production efficiency. In a large number of printing tasks, it can significantly shorten the printing cycle and improve economic benefits.
(6) Environmental protection and sustainability
Environmentally friendly ink: Flexographic label printing can use non-polluting, fast-drying inks, such as water-soluble or UV inks, which are non-polluting to the environment and harmless to the human body. This meets the requirements of modern printing industry for environmental protection and sustainable development.

 

 

4,Gravure printing uses a short ink inking system to supply ink, web printing, high automation technology, solvent-based ink, and fast drying of the ink layer, making it a preferred choice for film printing.The following is a detailed analysis of its advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
High-quality printing effect:
The ink has strong adhesion, the printed pattern is clear and full, the color is bright, and the visual effect is excellent.The printed product has a thick ink layer, clear lines, high saturation, high printing plate durability, and stable print quality.The main body is strong, the fine lines are clear, and it can prevent counterfeiting, so it is mostly used to print banknotes, stamps and other securities.
Good wear resistance:
After long-term use, the gravure printed label can still maintain a high printing quality and is not easy to wear, which improves the durability and service life of the label.
Strong adaptability:
Gravure printing can adapt to various materials and media, such as paper, plastic, metal, etc., and has a wide range of applications.For some materials that are easy to stretch and deform, such as textile materials, it has good adaptability, which is incomparable to letterpress printing and lithography.
Easy to automate production:
Gravure printing machines have high production efficiency, can realize automated production, and reduce production costs.In particular, the high-speed operation mode enables gravure printing to complete the printing of batch products in a short time, and the printing quality is stable, and the same batch of products can achieve no color difference.
High printing precision:
Gravure printing has high printing precision, can present rich layering and delicate graphic effects, and is suitable for label printing with high requirements for printing quality.
Disadvantages
High production cost:
The gravure production process is complicated, requiring professional engravers and equipment, and the production cost is high.The plate making cycle is long, the efficiency is low, and it is not suitable for small batch printing.
Limited by materials:
Gravure printing has certain requirements for materials, and some special materials may not be suitable for gravure printing.
High requirements for operators:
Gravure printing has high requirements for operator skills, and professional training is required to operate proficiently.
Environmental issues:
Traditional gravure printing uses solvent-based inks, which may produce harmful gases and have a certain impact on workers' health and the environment. Although the application of water-based inks is developing, it has not yet been fully popularized.
Relatively slow printing speed:
Compared to some other printing methods, gravure printing can be slow and may not be flexible enough, especially when processing small batches or personalized orders.

 

5,Screen printing is the most versatile printing method for sheet materials. At present, many screen printing factories use cheap screen printing equipment to shrink the printing of self-adhesive labels and film labels. The characteristics of screen-printed labels are light ink, rich color and strong three-dimensional effect. Film products can also be printed with UV ink. Except for a few rotary screen printing equipment with roll-to-roll self-adhesive printing capabilities, most screen printing equipment is semi-automatic flat screen printing machine, which can only print a single product and has low overprinting precision. Not very suitable for supporting production lines.
In the process of business transformation of post-printing processing technology, it is also necessary to pay attention to the corresponding changes in the post-printing processing of labels. Choosing the right label printing method requires considering multiple factors, including the purpose of the label, quantity, printing quality requirements, and budget.