Method for smoother tonal response in flexographic printing

A process for creating a flexographic plate, the process comprising:

• providing an unexposed flexographic plate comprising a masking layer disposed on a surface of the unexposed flexographic plate;
• using an imager to create a mask by forming openings in the masking layer, the openings configured to permit exposure of the unexposed flexographic plate to UV radiation during an exposure step prior to further processing that results in a completed flexographic plate ready for receiving ink, the steps for forming the openings in the masking layer comprising:
• (a) providing image information corresponding to ink-carrying and non-ink-carrying portions of the completed flexographic plate, the ink-carrying portions comprising a plurality of ink-carrying elements;
• (b forming openings in the masking layer in accordance with the image information by:
• (i) superimposing on the image information a base pattern of equally sized spots, each spot corresponding to an imaged or non-imaged discrete element represented on the mask, wherein each spot corresponding to an imaged discrete element in the base pattern is surrounded by eight spots corresponding to non-imaged discrete elements, wherein the spots corresponding to the imaged and non-imaged elements are aligned to a grid defined by an imaging resolution of the imager, each imaged discrete element corresponding to an opening in the mask, and each non-imaged discrete element corresponding to a non-open area of the mask;
• (ii) selecting a size for forming each imaged discrete element such that each set of four neighboring imaged discrete elements has a non-imaged discrete area centered therebetween, wherein the non-imaged discrete area is configured to resolve to a region on a surface of the completed flexographic plate having a level below an uppermost level of the completed flexographic plate but above a non-printing level of the completed flexographic plate and each of the four neighboring imaged discrete elements is configured to resolve to the uppermost level of the completed flexographic plate;
• wherein step (b)(1) comprises defining in the image information a plurality of pixels and the superimposing comprises converting a first pixel in a first screen to a group of four pixels in a second screen, wherein each exposed first screen pixel translates into 1 exposed and 3 non-exposed second screen pixels, and providing the second screen as the image information to the imager.