Flexographic printing
AssigneeKodak Graphic Communications Canada Company
InventorsDevon James McCrea, Stephen Hughes Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of screening a continuous tone image into a halftone representation for a flexographic printing operation can compensate for characteristic printing problems in highlight areas by selectively placing non-printing dots proximate highlight dots. The non-printing dots raise the printing relief floor in the highlight areas providing additional support for marginally printable image features.
Claims19
A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- and
- establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing establishes the non-printing feature as including at least one pixel that is turned on.
A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- and
- establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing is operative to establish one or more non-printing dots as the non-printing image feature.
A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- wherein the step of identifying is operative to identify marginally printable image features that are too small to be reliably printed as the identified printable image features, and
- establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying.
A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- screening a continuous tone image to create the halftone representation;
- identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- and
- establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing at least one non-printing image feature comprises adding a non-printing dot to the halftone representation.
A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;
- establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying;
- and
- removing sub-marginally printable image features from the halftone image representation.
A method for preparing a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:
- establishing a relief floor by back-exposing the flexographic printing plate;
- receiving halftone image data representing an image to be printed, the halftone image data defining a plurality of printable image features, at least one non-printing feature disposed proximate to a marginally printable image feature, and at least one non-printing background area wherein the at least one non-printing feature is designed to raise the relief floor to a substantially uniform height proximate to the marginally printable image feature in order to improve the printability of the marginally printable image feature;
- exposing the flexographic printing plate in accordance with the halftone image data;
- and
- processing the flexographic printing plate to develop a relief image.
A flexographic printing plate, comprising:
- a background area corresponding to areas of an image to be printed having no printable image features;
- an ink-transferring surface defined in relief to the background area and formed in accordance with the image to be printed, the ink-transferring surface having a plurality of printable image features, and
- at least one non ink-transferring raised portion of the background area of substantially uniform height disposed proximate to a marginally printable image feature to improve the printability of the marginally printable image feature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.