INTEGRATED APPLICATION
Variable Data Printing on Flexo Presses
No Print Stations Lost: The web goes up over the table and back down. Every station stays in play.
Full Web Width: Print heads line up across the web. Variable data isn't stuck in one lane.
Camera-Checked Codes: A camera can read every code, log it, and stop the press if one is missing.
Executive Summary
A flexo press prints from plates. That means it prints the same thing over and over. That's fine — until a job needs a different barcode, number, or code on every piece. Plates can't do that. So those jobs get turned down, sent out, or run as a slow second pass.
Here's the fix. We put a digital inkjet mail table in the middle of the press. The web runs up over the table and right back down into the press. You don't lose any print stations. The inkjet prints the changing data — barcodes, running numbers, codes — across the full width of the web at press speed. The data comes from a file, or the system just counts up on its own. Your flexo stations keep printing the artwork and color. The inkjet does the one thing plates can't.
If the job needs proof, a camera downstream reads every code, logs it with a time and date, and stops the press if a code is missing or can't be read. Your customer gets a report showing every piece that ran.
Key Advantages
Win Jobs You Turn Down Today: Numbered tickets, barcoded labels, and lot codes become one pass on the press you already own.
One Pass, Not Two: No numbering machine. No second run.
Data From a File: Codes come from a data file — or the system counts up on its own.
Proof If You Need It: A camera reads every code and hands back a time-stamped report.
Works on Most Presses: What matters is room in the web path — not how old the press is. Send us the press model and a layout.
How It Works
WEB UP: In the middle of the press, the web runs up out of the flexo units and across the inkjet table. No stations are lost.
PRINT: The inkjet prints the changing data — barcodes, numbers, codes — across the full web at press speed.
WEB DOWN: The web runs back into the press to finish the job. A camera can check every code on the way out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I do variable printing on my flexo press?
Add a digital inkjet mail table in the middle of the press. The web runs up over the table, the inkjet prints the changing data, and the web goes back into the press. No plate changes. No lost stations.
Do I lose print stations to fit the inkjet table?
No. The web goes up and over the table and back down. Every station stays in play.
Can the codes be checked as they print?
Yes. A camera reads every code, logs it with a time and date, and stops the press if one is missing. Customers who need proof get a report of every piece.
Will this work on an older press?
Usually. What matters is room in the web path for the table. The age of the press matters much less. Send us the press model and a layout.
What jobs can I win with variable data on my flexo press?
Numbered tickets, barcoded labels, and lot codes — any job where every piece needs its own code. Those jobs become one pass on the press you already own, instead of work you turn down or send out.