RK and Pulse enter partnership agreement for pre-press proofing

RK PrintCoat’s FlexiProof 100/UV will be used with PureTone inks for off-press color matching. PureTone inks were introduced by Pulse Roll Label Products at Labelexpo Europe 2015. A new variant of the FlexiProof 100, the FlexiProof LED UV is available with LED technology for curing heat sensitive materials.

UV flexo ink evaluation includes the cure rate and pigment wetting, as well as adhesion aspects and flexibility.  Color and strength need to be determined to ensure that the ink will be the correct color when the correct amount of ink is being carried to the anilox.  As UV flexo ink is slightly more viscous than conventional inks, RK PrintCoat said that when test proofing in the lab/ink kitchen or in the pressroom an integrated proofing device that replicates actual conditions is desirable.

Tom Kerchiss, RK PrintCoat Instruments managing director, said: ‘Technological advancements in UV inks, coatings and varnishes in recent years have been made easier by the corresponding advances in quality assurance and product development equipment.  Of particular interest is that devices such as the FlexiProof can be used by everyone in the supply chain, from substrate manufacturer to ink/coating supplier to printer/converter; it can be used as an educational tool to further research into flexo and for operator training and even for the testing/trialing of components such as anilox rolls and doctor blades, etc.’

Gary Seward, managing director of Pulse Roll Label Products, said: ‘Supported by software and equipment from leading industry suppliers, PureTone provides an innovative label ink solution, satisfying a growing demand for greater color control and accuracy, ensuring that printers benefit through long-term cost savings and that color standardization for brands and end users becomes the norm.

‘The success also highlights the benefits of working in close partnership across the supply chain. In terms of pre-press proofing, our relationship with RK Print Coat Instruments means that we can offer our customers a total color management package. The benefits of using the FlexiProof 100/UV is that it eliminates press downtime by color matching off-press as the FlexiProof 100/UV is essentially a scaled down but component critical exact version of a full sized flexo press.’