Sample Matching of Towels and Tissue Products (I)

Is it possible to get a surprising printing effect?

Flexographic printing production is rapidly changing from monochromatic or two-color printing of the original pure white printing materials to complex four-color printing production. However, the development of prepress technology in flexo printing does not seem to keep up.

The towel and paper towel product printing plant is achieving surprisingly high quality results. Porous substrates, press speeds (up to 2,700 fpm), ink requirements, and 100-inch (254 cm) wide roll materials are all quickly available. development of. Despite surprisingly high quality results, these products did not match the proofs provided by the sales and marketing department.

Could it be said that the responsibility of the sales and marketing department is to provide the production department with a printing machine capable of matching the same kind of cards? Or should the production department continue to work hard to match unrealistic target proofs to ensure that production is always at a very high standard, so that the above two departments will not be defeated? Basically, the quality of printed matter is the role of teamwork, including not only marketing and production, but also suppliers and paper product processors.

Industry feedback

I once asked the industry expert, Ms. Julie Vusich, tissue production manager at Potlatch Corp., some background information about the front-end process. Where are the selling points of paper towel products? What are the design parameters? In the past, how do we ensure that printed products are consistent with samples signed by customers?

“The designer’s task is to develop a beautiful design solution,” Ms. Vusich replied. “This requires a free space for creation. The job of the color separation staff is to prepare the design documents for the printing press. At present, it is provided to the paper product processing staff. The proofs don't represent the printing effect of the printing press well. I will participate in all the printing operations and print the target proofs. It is very important to have the same sheet.”

She also explained in detail that "If you can maintain consistency and stability, the proofing process is very important." She believes that if the industry can establish standards, customers will be more confident in the entire printing process. "These standards start with proofs and continue throughout the print production process," Ms. Vusich said. "Without standards, we often need marketers and/or customers to sign and approve."

Mr. Terry Gibbar, production supervisor of Potlatch's Lewiston Company, has different opinions. When asked if the proofs provided by the marketers could achieve an exact match, he said, “Proofreaders are just a guide tool. We cannot match the color, brightness or cleanliness of the (high gloss proofs). We need to conduct a test print. It is possible to estimate the standard effect of each new design. This practice is very expensive and takes a long time."

Then asked the criteria mentioned by Ms. Vusich. Mr. Gibbar said, “Sampling is very valuable for setting realistic print targets. Samples should not be bright works of art. They should also represent the real effects of the press.” He also pointed out that consistency is the basis for achieving this goal.

Eclectic approach

Seeing these feedbacks in the industry, let us examine the operation process again.

Some industry professionals want to see paper towels and towel prints as packaging rather than a unique product that requires a special printing process. Designers want to manipulate colors—many, many colors, even more than printers hope to handle. They want the design to achieve the effect they want. However, they only use brushes or computers instead of printers. Frankly, they do not understand or say no to the problems faced by the printing factory.
The premium quality seen on the screen does not necessarily translate well to printed products. Only experts with experience in the printing of tissues and towels can predict the printing results and achieve the best appearance. Over the years, this situation is a problem that all flexographic printing companies use to print a variety of substrates, and the width of various webs will face.

Marketers will bring these design results to customers, whether they can be printed or not. Marketers sell their designs to customers and promote their concepts. But they do not promote printing. If you think about it carefully, you will find that this is a description of the work of marketers.

The client will endorse some kind of design result and sign it, but it will not create the effect of flexo printing in mind. This proof sheet does not actually represent the effect of ink and printing materials used. The impractical proofs that customers have signed have become an unachievable goal for printing presses.

In the past, all flexographic printers encountered the same problem: there was no entry before the customer was provided with proofs, or an offset proof provided by the printing press to the customer. Most printing companies in the flexo printing market have changed this operation. This also applies to flexible printing plants that use the high-absorbency printing materials sector.

If the client signs up for design proofs and proofs that cannot be realized at all, only an eclectic approach can be used. To modify these documents into a printing press can be achieved while ensuring that customers can not be disappointed. Samples made using this conversion file either fail to match the proofs that the customer has signed, or do not match the results of the press shop. For prepress companies, it is ensured that the revised electronic document is in accordance with the original design effect and can tell the printer that "the effect of this document is the same as that of the customer's approval."

(to be continued)