Transverse Stripes in Flexo Printing

What are transverse stripes in flexo printing?

The ink is laid down one after another on top of each other when flexo printing a piece of paper. Transverse stripes in flexo printing are used by printers in order to ensure that the lines created by the inks are straight.

There are transverse stripes when the lines run perpendicularly to the direction in which the ink moves. These stripes help to create perfectly straight lines by spacing them evenly across the page.

Why do flexo prints have transverse stripes?

The easiest way to print details accurately on flexo prints is with transverse stripes.

By sucking ink sideways through the paper, the printing press creates a dot pattern that gives an image a more uniform appearance across its width.

Types of transverse stripes

There are many types of transverse stripes in flexo printing. Here are the most common:

Crossbar stripes:

Similar to bar stripes, these stripes cross the width of the sheet. They are most commonly used for full-color printing.

Checkerboard stripes: 

These stripes alternate between light and dark colors, giving the impression of a checkerboard pattern.

Dot stripe: 

This stripe consists of a series of tiny circles or dots. It’s often used for logos or text that needs to be highly visible.

Difference of transverse stripes with regular flexo printing:

Transverse stripes appear differently when printed with regular flexo printing versus transverse stripes printed with flexo printing.

When regular flexo printing is used, the stripes run across the widest part of the paper.

Because of this, a very rigid striped pattern is produced that is difficult to repeat evenly. In flexographic printing with transverse stripes, the stripes curve around the paper’s edge as they are printed at an angle.

 As a result, it is much easier to produce a flexible and uniform stripe pattern.

How to find transverse stripes on a label?

You may have noticed that certain types of flexographic printing have thin stripes running perpendicular to the print direction on your printer.

These stripes are called transverse stripes and can be a bit tricky to spot on labels. 

Here are some tips on how to identify and locate them: 

●     Look for stripes in areas where the label will be folded or wrinkled up, such as near the edges or along the fold lines.

●     Compare your label against a ruler or other measuring device to ensure accuracy. If one horizontal stripe measures 1/4 inch wide, for instance, and you find a stripe that is 1/8 inch wide, it likely belongs to the transverse stripe category.

●     Once you’ve identified a possible transverse stripe, use a magnifying glass or microscope to zoom in and see if there is actually a stripe running perpendicular to the print direction. 

●     If you think your label may have been folded at several points in its fabrication run, simply pull it apart and check to see if there are two different, offset transverse-strip category prints along the fold lines.

●      An added clue that the printed material is likely of transverse stripe classification is that with most box labels, all the print orientations are running in one direction—usually either vertically or horizontally. Even small details such as such a curl on a vertical print could be used to identify this category.

●      Compare your manufacturers’ instructions for application, especially as it pertains to installation time versus time of exposure after installation procedure has been completed, as well as storage requirements versus recommended storage conditions.

Keep in mind;

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to transverse strokes: 

Transverse stripes should run perpendicular to the longitudinal strokes 

This will help ensure that your image looks symmetrical and professional. 

Be sure to use enough ink when printing transverse stripes they can be quite delicate, so overuse can lead to blurry stripes or even spotty printing.

Transverse stripes in flexo printing are an important part of the printing process. They create the outside and inside strokes of the image being printed. 

Without them, the image would be a mishmash of colors and shapes.

Transverse stripes play a key role in the printing process by creating the outside and inside strokes of an image.

Without transverse stripes, an image would be a mishmash of colors and 

FAQs:

What are the benefits of transverse stripes in flexo printing?

There are many great benefits of transverse stripes in flexo printing such as increased cut speed, increased pick-up speed, and decreased paper waste.

How do I print transverse stripes in flexo printing?

With flexo printing you can make a solid or patterned design which has the appearance of curved, irregular lines. The transverse stripes on your design will be printed across your print media, giving it a striped effect. 

To create this effect you will need to create your design with a combination of single-color inks and/or toners at different levels. 

This means that the light areas of your print media will each be printed with one ink or toner, whereas the dark sections each hold two separate inks or toners.

 If you are considering adding some color variation to your work it is best to use digital printing methods that allow for such low cost and high quality options as CMYK vs RGB

 Conclusion:

Transverse stripes are a popular printing technique used to create visual interest and texture. They can be created using different colors of inks, or by varying the widths of the lines running horizontally across the page. 

Transverse stripes can give your flexo prints an extra boost of energy, making them look more dynamic and exciting.

 So next time you need to print a brochure, poster, or other printed piece, remember to consider adding some transverse stripes to spice things up a little bit!

This article is the part of Problems and solutions in flexo printing series

You can read the title article here – Flexo Printing Problems and Solutions

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