Paper cup flexo printing prepress production should pay attention to the problem

The paper cup is a novel advertising method. Because its propaganda is close to life and its cost is low, it has become one of the most economical, most affordable, most convenient and most convenient advertising media.

First, the use of paper cups

1. Use of paper cups in beverage packaging

The most important function of a paper cup is to hold beverages such as carbonated drinks, coffee, milk, cold drinks, etc. This is its earliest and most basic purpose.

Drink cups can be divided into cold cups and hot cups. Cold cups are used to hold cold drinks, such as carbonated drinks, iced coffee, etc. Hot cups are used to hold hot beverages, such as coffee, black tea, etc.

There is a layer of edible wax on the surface of the cold cup, because the cold beverage will make the surface area of ​​the cup water, resulting in softened paper cups, waterproof after being coated with wax. At 0-5°C, this wax is very stable and safe. However, if the beverage temperature exceeds 62°C, the wax will melt and the paper cup will deform by absorbing water. Different from the cold cup, the surface of the hot cup is affixed with a special layer of polyethylene film, which not only has good heat resistance, but also is non-toxic and harmless under the immersion of high-temperature beverages.

2. Use of paper cups in advertising

At present, advertisers or manufacturers also use paper cups as an advertising medium.

Designing the pattern on the cup body can give people different drinking moods, and it is also a "symbol" for promoting a certain product. Because the product's trademark, name, manufacturer, distributor, etc., can be designed on the surface of the paper cup. When people drink beverages, they can get acquainted with the information and understand the products. Paper cups provide a platform for people to understand these new products.

Second, compare the printing methods of paper cups

Paper cups have a variety of printing methods, and different printing methods have different printing characteristics.

1. Offset

Offset printing is the principle of using oil and water repulsion.

Film propaganda paper cups are oil-resistant and water-resistant. The blank part is hydrophilic and oil-resistant, and the graphics are transferred to the substrate through a blanket cylinder. The advantage of offset paper cups is that the pattern is full, vibrant and clear. No matter whether it is a gradual change or a fine and fine line, it can be clearly displayed, making the appearance of the paper cup more beautiful and attracting the eye of the customer. But offset printing is not suitable for printing edible paper cups, because offset printing inks are not very environmentally friendly.

2. Silk screen

Screen printing is flexible and flexible due to its flexibility and applicability. It is not only suitable for printing on soft articles such as paper and cloth, but also suitable for printing on hard articles such as glass, ceramics, etc., and is not limited by the surface shape and area of ​​the substrate. However, the advantages of screen printing paper cups are not well reflected, and screen printing has great limitations on the reproduction of graphics and texts, and it has certain difficulties in dealing with gradual changes and reproduction of image accuracy.

3. Flexo

Flexo printing is called "green printing" due to the use of water-based inks. Many of the company's product packaging is now developing toward flexo printing.

Because the structure of the flexo printing machine is relatively simple, compared to the large body of the offset printing press and the high cost of materials, the flexo printing machine becomes "thin". In terms of cost, the equipment investment of the flexo printing machine is lower than that of offset printing machines of the same scale, and generally can save as much as 30% to 40%. The small investment in production has attracted the participation of small-scale printing companies. Flexographic printing is not as narrow as the screen printing in the selection of originals, and the rules on color are broader, but they are inferior to offset printing. Flexo printing is the main process currently used for paper cup printing. The print quality of paper cups depends largely on prepress production. We will now elaborate on the issues that should be noted in prepress production.