Inking system with plurality of fountain roller elements

An inking system for use in transferring a plurality of different inks to a flexographic printing plate in a flexographic printing system, comprising:

• an anilox roller with a cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of cells, the cells being indentations in the outer surface of the anilox roller configured to transfer ink to the flexographic printing plate;
• a fountain roller system including a plurality of coaxial fountain roller elements, each fountain roller element having an ink transfer zone with an ink transfer zone radius, wherein the ink transfer zone radii for the plurality of fountain roller elements are the same;
• and
• a segmented ink tray having a bottom surface and left and right side walls that extend upwards from left and right edges of the bottom surface, a plurality of ink tray segments, and bearing saddles mounted on the inside of and adjacent to each of the left and right side walls, which bearing saddles are adapted to receive bearings mounted on a fountain roller shaft, wherein each fountain roller element is mounted within a corresponding ink tray segment;
• wherein the fountain roller elements are positioned such that the ink transfer zones contact corresponding zones of the cylindrical outer surface of the anilox roller;
• and
• wherein the ink transfer zone of each fountain roller element is adapted to receive ink from the corresponding ink tray segment and transfer the received ink to the corresponding zone of the anilox roller.