Method for smoother tonal response in flexographic printing

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

• (a) providing an unexposed flexographic plate comprising a masking layer disposed on a surface of the unexposed flexographic plate;
• (b) receiving image information as a first screen defined by a plurality of screen shapes;
• (c) analyzing the image information by converting the image information into operating instructions for a laser source, the laser source configured to expose portions of the masking layer to radiation corresponding to the image information, the laser source also having an adjustable laser power for modulating a size of the laser beam for exposing imaged discrete elements on the masking layer:
• (d) forming an imaged masking layer by forming openings in the masking layer via an imager and in accordance with the image information by:
• (i) in at least a portion of the masking layer, modulating a size of the laser beam;
• (ii) exposing or ablating, via the laser beam, each imaged discrete element, thereby forming an imaged masking layer;
• and
• (e) forming an exposed plate using the imaged masking layer by exposing the unexposed plate to electromagnetic radiation through the openings in the imaged masking layer to form an exposed plate and processing the exposed plate to form the completed flexographic plate;
• wherein for each identified isolated imaged discrete element, each spatially nearest adjacent isolated imaged discrete element is aligned on center with the identified isolated imaged discrete element to define a diagonal line, a horizontal spacing between nearest adjacent horizontally aligned isolated imaged discrete elements that define rows is equal to a vertical spacing between nearest adjacent vertically aligned isolated imaged discrete elements that define columns, and the diagonal line has a slope defined by vertical rise distance/horizontal run distance of ½, −½, 2 or −2.

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

• (a) providing an unexposed flexographic plate comprising a masking layer disposed on a surface of the unexposed flexographic plate;
• (b) receiving image information as a first screen defined by a plurality of screen shapes;
• (c) analyzing the image information by converting the image information into operating instructions for a laser source, the laser source configured to expose portions of the masking layer to radiation corresponding to the image information, the laser source also having an adjustable laser power for modulating a size of the laser beam for exposing imaged discrete elements on the masking layer;
• (d) forming an imaged masking layer by forming openings in the masking layer via an imager and in accordance with the image information by:
• (i) in at least a portion of the masking layer, modulating a size of the laser beam:
• (ii) exposing or ablating, via the laser beam, each imaged discrete element, thereby forming an imaged masking layer;
• and
• (e) forming an exposed plate using the imaged masking layer by exposing the unexposed plate to electromagnetic radiation through the openings in the imaged masking layer to form an exposed plate and processing the exposed plate to form the completed flexographic plate;
• wherein for each identified isolated imaged discrete element, each spatially nearest adjacent isolated imaged discrete element is aligned on center with the identified isolated imaged discrete element to define a diagonal line, wherein a horizontal spacing between nearest adjacent horizontally aligned isolated imaged discrete elements that define rows is not equal to a vertical spacing between nearest adjacent vertically aligned isolated imaged discrete elements that define columns.

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

• (a) providing an unexposed flexographic plate comprising a masking layer disposed on a surface of the unexposed flexographic plate;
• (b) receiving image information as a first screen defined by a plurality of screen shapes;
• (c) analyzing the image information by converting the image information into operating instructions for a laser source, the laser source configured to expose portions of the masking layer to radiation corresponding to the image information, the laser source also having an adjustable laser power for modulating a size of the laser beam for exposing imaged discrete elements on the masking layer;
• (d) forming an imaged masking layer by forming openings in the masking layer via an imager and in accordance with the image information by:
• (i) in at least a portion of the masking layer, modulating a size of the laser beam;
• (ii) exposing or ablating, via the laser beam, each imaged discrete element, thereby forming an imaged masking layer;
• and
• (e) forming an exposed plate using the imaged masking layer by exposing the unexposed plate to electromagnetic radiation through the openings in the imaged masking layer to form an exposed plate and processing the exposed plate to form the completed flexographic plate;
• and
• wherein step (ii) comprises ablating the masking layer such that none of the ablated neighboring smallest discrete imaged elements in a set of four touch or overlap another in the set.