Apex International, a global anilox and metering solutions provider, and Hamillroad Software Limited, a UK-based software company specializing in prepress products, have announced the formation of Aniken Graphics International, a joint venture created to bring Bellissima Digitally Modulated Screening into the flexographic mainstream.

Developed by Hamillroad, Bellissima Digitally Modulated Screening (DMS) is the company’s award-winning screening solution for flexographic printing. Bellissima’s patented technology has been fully optimized to work at 4,000 dpi on industry standard equipment allowing printers to achieve a high level of detail & quality of print normally associated with gravure and offset, typically 300-450 lpi. In addition to the image reproduction fidelity benefits, Bellissima DMS drives impressive benefits for the business.

“Bellissima is transformative technology,” says Andy Cave, CEO of Hamillroad, the original creator and Chief Designer of the Harlequin RIP and founding member of Harlequin Limited (now Global Graphics Software Limited).

Cave continues: “We’ve eliminated moiré, the highlight dots are down to 1% and the shadow dots are up to 99.5% meaning beautifully smooth vignettes that fade to zero are a reality. A printer can breathe new life into their existing printing press using Bellissima; we significantly reduce common machine issues including bounce, barring and slur – features which are all patented in Bellissima. The benefits don’t stop there. Bellissima is helping printers save between 5-10% on ink, reduce make-ready times, and creates a solid foundation for the implementation of fixed palette printing.”

As a result of the partnership, Apex International has been granted distribution rights to Bellissima worldwide following its launch event at Labelexpo Europe 2017.  For its part, Apex has aligned considerable commercial resources to support the partnership and their customers.

“Distribution has always been part of our long-term strategy at Apex,” says Doug Jones, VP of Marketing at Apex International. “For us, it is not just about selling anilox rolls and sleeves.  It’s about delivering a total solution from wet-end to pre-press side to the printers we serve. So, when we have the privilege to align with like-minded companies like Hamillroad and we have the opportunity to deliver even greater value to our customers, we’re excited to be able to do that.”

“When we looked at the value our customers see with Apex anilox solutions, particularly our GTT anilox products, and we compared those with the value realized by integrating Bellissima into the printing process, we knew the two products combined would naturally provide better printing results for our customers.” says Nick Harvey, newly appointed Managing Director of Aniken.  “Bellissima was developed and fine-tuned using GTT, so not only can our customers consistently see print quality results that exceed gravure and offset, but they can do so for a fraction of the cost allowing flexographers to gain significant competitive advantages especially with shorter runs.”

“We are extremely excited about our partnership with Apex. Their global sales network and marketing are well-established strengths at Apex and combining Bellissima with the standardization and consistency of their GTT anilox technology has produced considerable benefits for our mutual customers. For those reasons Apex was the natural choice for a distribution partner,” Concludes Cave.