Hybrid package printing. Assessment of the influence of paper media parameters for inkjet printing on flexographic printed paper.

Hybrid printing combining inkjet technology with flexography can be used to add customer specific information in the production of packaging and print. However, in order to improve print quality a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing print quality is required. In this work, inkjet printing using three aqueous inkjet inks was performed on top of flexographic printouts on four paper substrates. The flexographic film contained tone values ranging from 0 to 100% ink coverage. Line quality and print density of the inkjet print were evaluated in order to estimate the influence of paper parameters on the print quality. Specifically, it was found that for the system studied, the flexographic film essentially dictates the surface energy while keeping the porosity and the surface roughness of the paper unaltered. These findings are further supported by micrograph images.