Noticia

“Lion puzzle”: the print work that won the 2019 FlexoStar innovation award. This visual featuring complex color patterns and tones was produced on a BOBST MASTERFLEX XL flexo printing line with the BOBST THQ FlexoCloud process. Developed at Bobst Lyon collaboratively with the French company Graphilabel, THQ (Très Haute Qualité) technology uses an Extended Color Gamut that it manages using color separation algorithms. Graphic design for Lion puzzle: Claire Gorvan Agency in Nantes, France. Anti-counterfeiting design: Securdoc and THQ SECURE modules.

Flexographic printing professionals once again recognised BOBST and its partner Graphilabel for their BOBST THQ FlexoCloud print technology. In Toulouse on December 12, the ATF handed them the 2019 FlexoStars innovation award for the print work on “Lion Puzzle”, a complex graphic design visual reproduced on semi-coated EB flute corrugated board.

Awarded with a gold Star after its launch in 2017, the THQ (Très Haute Qualité) process developed by Graphilabel and Bobst Group offers a flexo post-printing solution exclusively for corrugated board. The technology can reproduce images of unparalleled print quality, and opens markets for flexographic printing that had until now been reserved for offset systems.

• Effective anti-counterfeit printing
Due to the increased presence of counterfeit or pirated products in global trade (3% to 7% depending on the region), brand owners now seek protection. The color separation algorithm in the BOBST THQ FlexoCloud process offers highly effective anti-counterfeiting printing. “Nanomessages” invisible to the naked eye are reproduced to create a secure encryption solution that guarantees authentication and packaging traceability.


• Extended Color Gamut process
Recent innovations have enhanced BOBST THQ FlexoCloud technology. Its algorithm already covered 65% of the colour gamut in four-colour reproduction. Now the system is enhanced with a new Extended Color Gamut (ECG) printing process. This feature makes it possible to reproduce up to 93% of Pantone© shades using just seven colors.

With ECG, packaging manufacturers can use the same inks throughout a print run: operators can therefore sequence print jobs without cleaning printing blocks; setup times are faster, and the presses produce more. To top it off, the print quality is superior and more consistent than with the traditional flexographic process.