IPM-PWP_flexographic-printing-demounting-003_72dpi

The Finest Side of Success

Excellent quality for fine screen printing and halftone images

31 Jan 2018

X-Soft is yellow – the tesa logo colour clearly indicates the foam hardness
X-Soft is yellow – the tesa logo colour clearly indicates the foam hardness

Consumers are exposed to an ever increasing number of purchasing decisions. In the US, a typical supermarket carries around 40,0001 different items, all of which are relying on packaging designs to grab the customers’ attention.

To increase the visual effect and attract more consumers to their product, packaging designers and printers are working on more challenging and creative design elements.

tesa Softprint® 72420 FE was developed to support these endeavors. Our new product development helps packaging designers produce more critical motifs using very fine screens and halftone images. tesa Softprint® 72420 FE is fully-equipped with our new product core and high performance adhesives. The construction of this tape helps flexographic printers reduce job preparation time, promote uninterrupted print runs, and provide fast and clean plate and tape removal.

 [*source: https://www.fmi.org/our-research/supermarket-facts]

Excellent Foam Qualities

When using a soft foam, foam split is a common concern when producing fine screens and halftone images. We’ve enhanced the construction of tesa Softprint® 72420 FE to ensure the inner strength of the tape is durable and resilient but still offers a soft enough foam to reduce plate bounce. Our improved x-soft product core eliminates foam split and ensures clean removal. This reduces the time spent cleaning and prepping for the next job. These product enhancements not only improve the process, but provide the quality and consistency that print manufactures have come to depend on.

An additional PE reinforcement film provides higher cohesion strengths within the product core
An additional PE reinforcement film provides higher cohesion strengths within the product core

What are the benefits of the correct foam?

Digital plates play a vital role in delivering the finest screens ever. Their harder texture allows the finest dots; but this can come at a price. A harder plate needs extra cushion to ensure consistent, spectacular print results. tesa® Softprint x-Soft has a specially developed extra-soft foam, giving plates the ideal cushion to transfer finest screens, without the risk of unacceptable dot gain. This is just one of a host of benefits associated with the latest tesa® Softprint solution. The extra-soft foam also absorbs unwanted bounce in printing presses, allowing faster printing speeds without compromising the best possible print results. tesa® Softprint x-Soft redefines the boundaries for flexo printers, combining increased performance and efficiency with optimum results; benefits that printers and their customers alike really notice.

tesa Softprint® 72420 FE produces

  • Perfect round dots
  • Minimal dot gain effects
  • Excellent colour gradient
  • Prevents edge lift
  • Clean tape removal for fast job changes

High Performance Adhesive

We understand the importance of reducing job-changeovers and press down time. tesa Softprint® 72420 FE uses proven adhesive technology to overcome issues with plate and edge lifting. Our new adhesive composition produces easy mounting and demounting, while effectively securing the plate to the cylinder. Printers can benefit from:

  • Easy plate repositioning to speed up the mounting process
  • High cohesion strength to allow a fast and clean plate removal
  • High solvent resistance to avoid plate lifting during print runs

The Proof is in the Print

Experience the quality of tesa Softprint® 72420 FE for yourself. Contact your local tesa sales representative to request a print sample and learn how tesa Softprint® 72420 FE can help to increase your print quality.

x soft print sample
X Soft Print Sample