Esko has announced that its latest product launch, the Esko Quartz flexo ecosystem, sets a new standard for flexographic print quality. Esko Quartz is now available for ordering worldwide.

“When we first introduced the Quartz ecosystem at drupa last year, we hailed the technology as the pinnacle of flexo platemaking,” states Pascal Thomas, director of Flexo Product Management with Esko. “Following further development work and testing with our customer community, we are absolutely thrilled to be now making this innovation available to all those printers and converters across the globe looking to achieve incredible new standards in flexographic print quality. The first shipments should be expected by September.”

The Esko Quartz ecosystem complements the Crystal ecosystem as a top-of-the-line addition to the Esko digital flexo solutions portfolio, Esko says, offering a dual optics system that supports both legacy and forward-looking flexo platemaking with optimized Quartz Screening.

“New Quartz optical technology enables users to image higher frequency surface structures at 2000 lpi (Q-Cells) with an imaging resolution of 4000 ppi, providing another major leap forward in flexo plate imaging speed and print quality,” states Pascal. “Imaging at 4000 ppi is nearly double the current industry standard, and microcells engraved in the solid ink areas at a 2000 lpi resolution is proven to significantly boost ink transfer, delivering a way for print converters to match gravure print quality in flexography.”

Eddy Fadel, GM/VP Esko Digital Flexo Solutions at Esko, explains that with the new Esko CDI Quartz ecosystem, the company continues to deliver solutions that accelerate go-to-market while meeting the needs of its customers. “This brand-new, top-of-the-line complete flexo platemaking solution raises the bar on quality to the very highest level,” he says. “The Esko Quartz ecosystem truly enables flexo printers to achieve the optimum results for their customers.”

Jan De Roeck, CMO at Esko, says the screening technology is an evolution from the award-winning Esko Print Control Wizard software, which uses all critical print parameters and variables – imaging resolution, exposure settings, plate, substrate, anilox, press type and inks – to simplify the flexo platemaking process. “The software standardizes the generation of Crystal Screens specifically used in combination with the XPS Crystal flexo plate LED UV exposure unit,” he says. “With the CDI Quartz we have taken that to the next level, adding VQ (variable highlight Q-cells) and SQ (stochastic Q-cells) for unrivalled screening accuracy.

“This is a perfect combination of Esko flexo systems and software,” he adds. “The Quartz cells form in a flexo plate when exposed with the UV LED technology of the XPS, providing highly consistent and repeatable plate quality.”

Not only does the technologically advanced Quartz produce the most accurate and best quality plates, but it also reduces ink usage, making them cleaner to use. “What’s more, it does all this while delivering the absolute best quality final print,” says De Roeck. “It’s a genuine game-changer in flexo platemaking.”