Flexo entries

This shorter article rounds off the mini-series dedicated to handling artwork for flexo printing within Adobe Illustrator using the Phantasm CS Studio and Publisher plugin. In this piece we will show a method of checking for areas of artwork which would be cut-off from the final result due to flexo printing’s ink drop-off levels.

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Whilst covering drop shadows and glows in the previous object-specific flexo ink drop-off article, the matter of producing accurate cut-off levels for mixed value process CMYK shadows and glows was mentioned. The problem with generating these was due to the way in which drop shadows and glows are created internally within Illustrator (refer to details).

The best practice prescribed imposed significant limits on the shadow and glow colors possible as each ink had to be defined at 100% tint.

This article provides an Illustrator Action set that uses a clever combination of Illustrator and Phantasm CS Studio and Publisher tools. These automatically generate a cut-off drop shadow or glow based on any process CMYK color, applied to any embedded object type. The Actions, perfected over several days of testing on both Mac OS and Windows, allows this process to be completed in seconds – and all within Illustrator – as opposed to a significantly longer period if produced manually in a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop.

Note: This technique is not compatible with Illustrator CS2 or below due to a lack of Device-N (multi-ink) image support which was introduced in Illustrator CS3.

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This article covers the specifics of handling spot color when simulating or compensating for flexo printing within Adobe Illustrator using Phantasm CS Studio or Publisher. It should be read in conjunction with the earlier articles in this mini-series.

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Continuing the mini-series targeting the issue of ink drop-off in flexo printing using Adobe Illustrator, this article concentrates on specific object types and situations to watch out for. Once again, the ability to simulate or compensate for drop-off levels is possible directly in Illustrator exclusively with the use of Phantasm CS Studio and Publisher. However, note that we will also be adjusting some objects types such as drop shadows using tools only available in Phantasm CS Publisher.

Why detail the handling of specific object types? Well, Illustrator is a much more complex animal than Photoshop in terms of the number of different objects that may be created or placed within a document. Many of these various object types have an array of possible applications and uses. The most common objects which require special consideration and attention are to be found in this article.

Important: before you continue reading, it’s essential that you have read the first article in this series: Handling flexo printing ink drop-off in artwork using Illustrator.

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This article commences a new mini-series targeting the issue of ink drop-off in flexo printing and how to handle this whilst operating within Adobe Illustrator using Phantasm CS Studio and Publisher. It’s intended for all designers and operators of Illustrator in the packaging and flexo print industry as well as designers who may be required to produce packaging artwork.

If you want an introduction into flexo – or “flexographic” – printing, it’s suggested you refer to this Wikipedia entry and the introduction video produced by the industry promotion group Flexo4All. Flexo printing is used widely in the packaging industry where printing is possible on many substrates including plastics.

In this introduction article, we’ll cover the basics of ink drop-off and how to adjust an embedded image to either simulate the issue or compensate for it. Following articles will concentrate on the specific requirements to control drop-off levels within Illustrator on objects such as drop shadows and gradients, and attributes including transparency.

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