Gravure printing technology and its application in anti-fake packaging

Gravure printing is a direct printing method. It directly imprints the ink contained in the intaglio pits onto the substrate. The shade level of the printed picture is determined by the size and depth of the pits, if the pits are deeper. The ink contained is more, the ink layer left on the substrate after embossing is thicker; on the contrary, if the pit is shallow, the amount of ink contained is less, and the ink layer left on the substrate after embossing is printed. It is thinner. The gravure printing plate is composed of a number of pits and the surface of the printing plate corresponding to the original graphic. During printing, the ink is filled into the pits, the ink on the surface of the printing plate is scraped off with a squeegee, the printing plate is brought into contact with the substrate by a certain pressure, the ink in the pits is transferred to the substrate, and the printing is completed.

First, the characteristics of gravure printing

The ink-carrying body in the gravure printing is a pit carved on the printing plate. The shape of the pit is exactly the same as that of the original picture, and the printing plate surface has no ink. When the plate comes into contact with the substrate, the ink in the pit is transferred to the surface of the substrate and the printing process is completed. Therefore, gravure printing has some unique features that are different from other printing methods, which are discussed separately below.

1, security features

Gravure printing carries ink in the form of pits carved in accordance with the original text. The thickness of the lines and the shade of ink can be arbitrarily controlled during engraving. It is difficult to be imitated and forged, especially the depth of the ink pit, according to the printed image. The possibility of realistic carving is very small. Therefore, the current banknotes, stamps, stocks and other securities are generally printed in gravure and have a good anti-counterfeiting effect. At present, the trademark and even the packaging and decoration of some companies have been used gravure printing, indicating that gravure printing is a more viable security printing method.

2, wide application

General soft materials can be used as gravure printing substrates. Such as plastics, paper, aluminum foil, etc., especially for some easily deformed materials, such as textile materials, etc., have a good adaptability, which is not comparable to relief printing and lithography.

3, high printing quality

The gravure printing uses a large amount of ink, and the graphic text has a convex sense, rich layers, clear lines and high quality. Most of the printing of books and magazines, packaging, and decoration use gravure printing.

4, suitable for large-volume printing

Gravure printing has a longer plate making cycle, is more efficient and costly. However, the printing plate is durable, so it is suitable for large-volume printing. The larger the batch, the higher the benefit, and the lower the benefit for smaller batch prints. Therefore, the gravure method is not suitable for the printing of smaller-scale marks.

Second, the type of gravure printing

The type of gravure printing is divided into two types according to the plate making method: engraving gravure and etching gravure.

1, engraving gravure

Engraving gravure is to use a cutting knife directly on the surface of the plate cylinder to draw the pit corresponding to the original text. According to the control method of the cutting knife, it can be divided into a hand-engraved gravure, a mechanical engraving gravure and an electronic engraving gravure.

(1) Hand-engraved gravure

Hand-engraved gravure is made by the technician using a cutting knife to hand-engrave on the surface of the plate cylinder according to the original text, and the plate material can be made of copper plate or steel plate. The manual labor is heavy, the plate making cost is large, and the cycle is long. However, the hand-engraved gravure lines are clear and the print has a strong sense of hierarchy and is difficult to forge. Most of them are used to make printing intaglio plates with valuable securities and high-quality artwork.

(2) Mechanical engraving gravure

The mechanical engraving gravure is produced by engraving on the surface of the plate cylinder with a mechanically controlled carving knife, which reduces the laborious hand-carving work, the plate making speed is fast, the cycle is short, and the plate making cost is also low. It is mainly used to make printing intaglio of securities.

Since the cost of the above two engraving plates is high and the plate-making cycle is long, the use range is limited. But things are divided into two. For anti-counterfeit packaging, hand-engraved intaglio may be the best platemaking method. Because secret prevention is a major method of anti-counterfeit packaging, technicians can use a variety of methods to engrave some secret notes in the process of manual engraving of gravure. The dark marks on these hand-engraved gravure are not easy to be found and are even more difficult to distinguish in prints. This forms a secret anti-counterfeiting.

(3) Electronic engraving gravure

This version is controlled by the electronic control device engraving knife on the surface of the plate cylinder. Using an electronic engraving machine, according to the principle of photoelectricity, the engraving knife is controlled and a net hole is carved on the surface of the drum, and the area and the depth thereof are simultaneously changed.

2, corrosion gravure

Corrosion gravure is made by etching one ink pit on the surface of a plate cylinder by chemically etching the original image. Corrosion gravure can be divided into etched gravure, gravure gravure, and gravure gravure, depending on the original image and text conversion method.

The etched gravure is made by a plate making method that combines engraving and etching. That is, the shape of the original image and text is first carved by hand, and then the gravure is produced by etching.

Photogravure is widely used and is the most widely used printing plate in gravure printing. It is mainly used for printing plate and so on.

Dot gravure is mainly used for packaging and decoration printing and building materials printing.

Third, the application of gravure printing technology in anti-counterfeiting packaging

1, hand-carved gravure printing anti-counterfeiting effect is better

Secret anti-counterfeiting is a major aspect of product anti-counterfeiting, and this is implemented by trademark. Hand-engraved gravure printing provides necessary means for it. Hand-engraved gravure printing is easy to implement in the plate-making secret anti-counterfeiting, the depth of the pit when the engraving determines the shades of the image of the printed matter, imitation can easily imitate the size of the graphic and line thickness, but it is difficult to imitate the shade Prints with the same level (ie, dark ink pits). This is the main reason why securities have to be gravitationally used for a long time.

The less the print, the better the anti-counterfeiting effect. Because of the long cycle and high cost of hand-engraved gravure, the price of printed products is high when the amount of printing is small. The purpose of counterfeiters is mainly to pursue economic interests. They are reluctant to take any risks when they are not profitable or have little interest. Therefore, it can be said that the anti-counterfeiting effect of gravure printing for small-batch marks may be better than that for large-volume gravure printing.

2. Platemaking and printing are conducted in two places

Off-site plate making and printing have better anti-counterfeit effects. The printing factory generally has the ability to make plates, but the use of trademarks in the company's plate-making work should be selected separately, because the key to anti-counterfeiting is to know the less people the better, even if they know it should only know part of, and can not let it know The whole process of trademark design and printing, so even if there are loopholes in a certain area, other links are sufficient to meet the needs of security. When a trademark is printed at a printing factory, the company must send a person with strong sense of responsibility to the site to supervise the printing so as to prevent the stolen plate from being stolen and the trademark from being stolen. After the printing is completed, the printing plate must be recovered and stored.

3, combined with security ink technology

Ink anti-counterfeiting technology is also an aspect of secret anti-counterfeiting. Combining gravure printing technology with ink anti-counterfeiting technology, it will realize dual-secret anti-counterfeiting and will have better anti-counterfeiting effect.

Some printing anti-counterfeiting inks have larger pigment particles and require a thicker ink layer. The gravure printing ink layer is thicker and the texture of the print product is stronger. The combination of the two results in double anti-counterfeiting and decoration effects.

If the gravure printing uses fluorescent ink, it not only guarantees the gravure feeling of gravure printing, but also guarantees the use requirements of the fluorescent ink. Both of the secret anti-counterfeiting functions are also guaranteed.

Ink should be self-distribution, and then handed over to the printing company, printing is completed, the ink should be saved, so you can get a better anti-counterfeiting effect.