Recently, a printing company plans to introduce a new production line for BOPP plastic film printing in cosmetics packaging, and is struggling with how to choose between gravure printing and flexographic printing. These two printing methods each have their own advantages. Today, we will analyze them in detail to help companies clear the fog and make the most suitable choice.

Gravure printing: a balance between elegance and efficiency

working principle
Gravure printing transfers ink through the grooves on the plate cylinder. The printing plate cylinder rolls in the ink tank, filling the pits with ink, and then the excess ink on the surface of the printing plate is scraped off by a scraper, leaving only the ink in the pits. When the printing plate cylinder comes into contact with BOPP plastic film, under pressure, the ink in the pits is transferred to the film, forming clear patterns and text.

advantage
Ultra high printing quality: The dot reproduction of gravure printing is good, which can present extremely delicate patterns and rich color layers. For the field of cosmetics packaging, which requires a high level of appearance, gravure printing can accurately reproduce every detail of brand design, showcasing high-end and exquisite visual effects, and enhancing the grade and attractiveness of products.

Excellent ink transfer: Due to the quantitative transfer of ink through pits, the ink transfer amount is stable and the ink layer is thick. When printing on BOPP plastic film, it can ensure the uniform distribution of ink, resulting in high color saturation, bright and long-lasting color, and less fading of the printed product.

Suitable for large-scale production: gravure printing has fast speed and high production efficiency, making it very suitable for large-scale cosmetic packaging printing orders. Once the printing plate is completed, it can be continuously printed at high speed, greatly reducing the unit printing cost and improving the economic efficiency of the enterprise.

limitations
High production cost of printing plates: The production process of gravure printing plates is complex, requiring professional equipment and technical personnel, resulting in high costs. And if it is necessary to change the printing pattern, a new printing plate needs to be made, which undoubtedly increases production and time costs.

Poor flexibility: not suitable for small batch and multi variety printing needs. Due to the long time required to replace printing plates and debug equipment, frequent order changes can reduce production efficiency and increase costs.

Flexographic printing: an environmentally friendly and flexible choice

working principle

Flexographic printing uses flexible printing plates with elasticity, and ink is quantitatively transferred through mesh rollers. The ink is first transferred to the flexible printing plate, and then the printing plate comes into contact with the BOPP plastic film to complete the ink transfer under a certain pressure.

advantage
Outstanding environmental characteristics: Water based ink is commonly used in flexographic printing, with extremely low VOC emissions, which meets the increasingly strict environmental requirements of today. For the cosmetics industry, environmentally friendly printing methods not only help companies establish a good brand image, but also avoid potential risks caused by environmental issues.

High printing flexibility: The production of flexible printing plates is relatively simple, the cost is low, and the replacement of printing plates is fast. This makes flexographic printing very suitable for printing small batches and multiple varieties of cosmetic packaging. Enterprises can quickly adjust their printing content to meet diverse market demands based on different customer needs and market changes.

Strong adaptability to substrates: Flexographic printing has good adaptability to substrates made of various materials such as BOPP plastic film, and can achieve good printing results on films of different thicknesses and surface characteristics.

limitations
Relatively low printing accuracy: Compared with gravure printing, flexographic printing has a more obvious phenomenon of dot expansion, which may not achieve the high clarity and delicacy of gravure printing when printing fine patterns and text.

Limited ink transfer: Although flexographic printing can achieve good ink transfer, the ink layer thickness is relatively thin compared to gravure printing, which may be slightly inferior in color saturation and stereoscopic effect.

How to make a decision?

If the enterprise mainly undertakes large-scale cosmetic packaging orders with relatively fixed patterns and extremely high printing quality requirements, and has a certain ability to bear environmental costs, gravure printing is undoubtedly a better choice. It can meet the needs of enterprises for large-scale production and high-quality products with efficient production speed and excellent printing quality.

But if enterprises pay more attention to the flexibility of printing, hope to quickly respond to market changes, undertake small batch and multi variety orders, and have higher environmental requirements, then flexographic printing will be a more suitable solution. Its environmental characteristics and flexible production capacity can help enterprises reduce production costs and improve market competitiveness while meeting environmental requirements.