IntroducIng Q-Flex: Driving quality & reDucing cost through breakthrough innovation in print

Which is why we developed Q-Flex. Using our depth of expertise, and combining extraordinary innovation in screening, imaging and technology, Q-Flex finally offers a genuine alternative to gravure or litho in terms of print quality, along with significant additional advantages:

Improved QualItySmoother ink laydown, greater colour range and intensity, finer vignettes with no shadows, greater clarity on text and barcodes, impressive high-resolution images and assured repeatability.

greater FlexIbIlItyEconomically efficient production of promotional packs or secondary variants even at lower volumes, and easy composite printing.

Increased speed to marketShorter lead times than gravure or offset, yet with comparable quality.

eco-conscIousGreater colour range from just 4-colour process means less plates (and no cylinders), and less ink.

consIderable cost reductIonsThrough opportunity to move from gravure to flexo, through reducing the number of colours/plates required and through opportunities for composite printing.

q-Flex is a revolutionary new process that is literally creating a step-change in packaging print.

VCG’s dedicated team of experts have specialised in the production of flexographic plates for over 30 years. No-one was better placed than us to understand the developments in the marketplace in recent years – and yet we felt these new products were still not offering our clients the quality or the flexibility that we knew was achievable.

Whilst the Q-Flex technology can be used with any standard flexo printing press or plate type (meaning that there is no need to change print supplier or plate manufacturer), the resulting imaging structure is entirely unique.

Standard flexographic plates use pointed “dot cells”, whereas the new Q-Flex microcells have flat tops.

These are much more robust and stable during the printing process, and do not break or erode in the way traditional dot cells do. Imaging cells are also altered to interact with the ink more effectively, leading to considerable improvements in colour.

Of course, the important thing is what these changes mean in terms of resulting print quality…

the q-Flex DiFFerence

smoother Ink laydoWnOne of the biggest advantages of the Q-Flex system is the greatly improved ink laydown. Pinholes are reduced, allowing solids to appear smoother and more vibrant. Tone areas and fine text remain open, clean and sharp, allowing for much more effective combination of line and tone work.

greater colour range & IntensItyThe revolutionary Q-Flex microcell structure is able to deliver significantly greater colour density than standard flexo print. This means more vibrant, intense colours, and enhanced on-shelf impact. Importantly, it also considerably extends the colour gamut available – achieving up to 80% of pantone references through using just the 4 process plates.

FIner vIgnettes & no shadoWsThe unique Q-Flex screening technology means that vignettes and shadows can now fade to zero. Highlights are greatly improved and hard edges are eliminated. Gradients and vignettes appear smoother, and minimum dots are held to a much finer percentage.

clearer text & barcodesSmoother, sharper print with less pinholes means a noticeable difference in the quality of barcode reproduction and fine text. Both positive and negative text can be printed down to just 1pt and retain full legibility.

hIgh resolutIon ImageryQ-Flex’s innovative imaging technology achieves 1:1 high resolution reproduction, resulting in sharper, cleaner images with no loss of detail – so your product always looks it’s best.

assured repeatabIlItyThanks to the more robust nature of their unique structure, Q-Flex plates offer significantly greater longevity than standard flexo plates. When they do need replacing, our advanced press-side analysis technology and specially designed fingerprinting systems ensure that quality and detail is precisely matched with every reproduction.

Q-Flexstandard Flexo

standard FlexoQ-Flexstandard FlexoQ-Flex

Crucially, moving to Q-Flex can help brands achieve significant cost efficiencies whilst simultaneously delivering better quality print.

For an average multi-brand FMCG company, simply using Q-Flex where appropriate can represent savings of 15-20% on their entire packaging print budget. Here’s how:

cost reDuction

cylInders to platesChanging from gravure cylinders to Q-Flex plates can generate savings of over 50% per SKU. With comparable production quality, this is one of the key cost advantages offered by this breakthrough in technology.

colour reductIonThe significantly greater colour gamut afforded through the Q-Flex system means that the vast majority of colours are achievable using the standard 4 process set. Where designs may have previously required numerous special colours, these can be eliminated without any impact on visual quality – meaning that the cost of extraneous plates and inks can also be eliminated.

composIte prIntIngOne of the greatest benefits of delivering such a wide range of colours from just the 4-colour process set is the opportunity that presents in terms of composite printing. Volumes can be consolidated across variants or brands, and greater flexibility for short-run promotions is leveraged.

no lImItatIonQ-Flex plates can be made to the largest of plate sizes, and using any plate type. So there are no limitations, and existing print relationships can be maintained.

onlIne orderIngVCG’s proprietary online ordering system delivers even further cost-efficiencies by allowing orders to be created within minutes, providing complete transparency on order history and delivery instructions. Easy to use, and with secure access 24/7, brand owners can also authorise any existing supplier to simply and quickly create orders on their behalf.

It’s not just improvements in quality and great savings that our clients are seeing. Q-Flex offers numerous other important benefits:

Improved speed to market & greater FlexIbIlItyIncreasing speed to market is a priority for many brands, especially when launching new product lines, reacting to new marketplace conditions or looking to take advantage of promotional sales opportunities. All, of course, without compromising on quality or budget.

In delivering the quality of gravure or litho processes, but coupled with the often significantly shorter lead times associated with flexo production, Q-Flex gets products onto the market and – importantly - achieving sales in the quickest possible time. Greater flexibility is offered by shorter volume requirements, and through composite printing.

eco-beneFItsResources are conserved, with considerably less material required for the production of plates than cylinders. With fewer numbers of plates required thanks to Q-Flex’s unique colour handling, both ink and plate usage is further reduced.

This leap forward in technology is a break-through that not only gives the business significant savings but which also improve our speed to market with print lead-times reduced by at least 50%, and the ability to be more inventive in our promotional print.Tim Lynch, Marketing Services, Britvic

the challengeAs one of the UK’s leading soft-drinks manufacturers, labels comprise a large proportion of Britvic’s annual print requirements across their business.

With creating brand impact of the utmost importance, many of the designs have historically incorporated up to 9 print colours. Not only has this meant high cylinder and plate costs, but has also restricted the feasibility of producing short promotional volumes, as well as opportunities for composite printing.

our approachAmongst the many quality benefits offered by using the new Q-Flex plates, the colour gamut available using only the 4 process colours is significantly greater. Taking 4 of Britvic’s key brand designs as a sample trial, we were able to reduce the total of 16 inks that would previously have been required down to just 5 (CMYK + White) without compromising any of the vibrancy or impact.

In addition to retaining colour matching on brand and pantone colours, we achieved improvements to the existing packaging across detail, tonal range and contrast and colour densities.

Using Q-Flex plates not only provides Britvic with the opportunity to reduce inks (and therefore costs) on packaging currently printed using flexo process, but it also allows for lines previously printed as gravure to move over to flexo. Composite printing becomes much easier, and gives brands much greater flexibility in terms of promotions and limited edition variants.

case stuDy

Britvic

the results:• 16coloursreducedto5

across initial design samples

• Estimatedannualisedsavings of 53% vs cylinder costs

• Opportunitytosave15-20%on total print budget through move to Q-Flex

• Reductioninleadtimes of up to 50%

“I knew it would be good, but WOW! Our Q-Flex trial ran composite designs, using just four process colours to replace all the specials, and the effect was stunning with ink densities virtually the same as gravure. This technology has given us the opportunity to take advantage of flexo, use a standard process palette, and maintain quality whilst taking (massive) cost out and getting to market quicker. This sounds like Q-Flex evangelism - and it is.” Tim Lynch, Marketing Services, Britvic

For more information on Q-Flex and other innovative products from the VCG Group contact:

christophe roucherEuropean Sales Directort: 01376 533055e: christopheroucher@vcg-kestrel.comW: vcg-group.com

vcg kestrel1 Europa Park, Croft Way, Witham, Essex, CM8 2FN

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More anD More leaDing branDs are joining the q-Flex revolution with their packaging.Find out today how we could help your brand to do the same.