What are the Differences Between Gravure and Flexographic Printing in the Packaging Field?

In the packaging field, gravure (intaglio printing) and flexographic (flexo) printing are two mainstream processes. They differ significantly in plate-making, cost, printing effects, environmental friendliness, and applicable scenarios, directly impacting packaging quality, cost, and market adaptability. The detailed differences are as follows:

If you have technical questions or need to request samples, please contact our online engineers.

I. Plate-Making Process and Cost Differences

● Gravure:

○ Uses metal cylinders (copper or steel) for plate-making. Electronic or laser engraving creates recessed cells of varying depths on the cylinder surface (the image areas are recessed, non-image areas are raised). The depth of the cells determines ink volume.

○ Cost Characteristics: Extremely high plate-making cost (single cylinder costs thousands to tens of thousands of RMB), heavy cylinders, high storage costs. However, plate-making precision is stable, and durability is extremely high (capable of printing millions of impressions). Suitable for large-volume, long-term orders (low per-unit plate cost after amortization).

● Flexographic:

○ Uses flexible plates (rubber or photopolymer) for plate-making. Image areas are raised dots or lines, non-image areas are recessed.

○ Cost Characteristics: Low plate-making cost (single plate costs hundreds to thousands of RMB), plates are lightweight (only about 1/100 the weight of gravure cylinders), low storage and replacement costs. However, durability is weaker (typically under 1 million impressions). Suitable for small-to-medium batches or multi-variant orders (low plate changeover cost).

II. Printing Quality and Effect Differences

● Resolution and Detail:

○ Gravure: Can achieve 150-200 LPI (or even higher), capable of reproducing fine patterns, small text (e.g., ingredient lists on food packaging), and complex gradients (e.g., gradient backgrounds on cosmetic packaging). Excellent registration accuracy (error ≤ 0.1 mm).

○ Flexographic: Traditional line count 80-133 LPI; recently improved to 150-175 LPI with “high-definition flexo” technology, but detail is still slightly inferior to gravure. Complex gradients may exhibit “banding”; clarity of small text (≤ size 4 font) is somewhat weaker.

● Ink Layer and Texture:

○ Gravure: Thick ink layer (typically 8-15 μm), high color saturation, strong opacity. Suitable for packaging requiring rich colors (e.g., red, gold) or three-dimensional effects (e.g., simulating hot stamping effects on tobacco/alcohol packaging). Strong ink penetration, excellent adhesion to non-absorbent materials like films and aluminum foil.

○ Flexographic: Relatively thin ink layer (3-8 μm), colors are softer and more natural, suitable for packaging with subtle styles (e.g., fresh food boxes). Localized thick ink layers (e.g., tactile varnish, gloss varnish) can be achieved with UV inks, but overall ink layer uniformity is slightly inferior to gravure.

If you have technical questions or need to request samples, please contact our online engineers.

III. Ink and Environmental Friendliness Differences

● Ink Type:

○ Gravure: Traditionally uses solvent-based inks (containing benzene or ester solvents), relying on solvent evaporation for drying; strong odor, high VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions. Recently, solvent-free gravure inks have been developed, but they are costly and have limited application.

○ Flexographic: Primarily uses water-based inks (>80% share), with water as the solvent, almost zero VOCs emissions. UV inks are used in some scenarios (fast curing, no volatiles). Environmental friendliness is significantly better than traditional gravure, especially suitable for food and pharmaceutical packaging (complying with safety standards like FDA, EU 10/2011).

● Residues and Safety:

○ Gravure: Solvent-based inks may leave trace solvent residues; strict control of residue levels is required (e.g., food packaging requires solvent residue ≤ 5 mg/m²) to avoid odor or safety risks.

○ Flexographic: Water-based inks have no solvent residues, offering higher safety. They are the preferred choice for infant food, organic product packaging, etc.

If you have technical questions or need to request samples, please contact our online engineers.

IV. Substrate and Adaptability Differences

● Material Compatibility Range:

○ Gravure: Excels with non-absorbent materials, such as plastic films (BOPP, PET, PE), aluminum foil, laminated films, etc. Ink adhesion on smooth surfaces is extremely strong. Poor adaptability to rough surfaces (e.g., corrugated board) prone to missed prints or uneven ink layers.

○ Flexographic: Good adaptability to both absorbent and non-absorbent materials. Can print on corrugated board (rough surface, flexible plate conforms), paper, as well as plastic films (requires pretreatment) and aluminum foil. Especially suitable for thick/rigid packaging materials (e.g., cardboard, metal cans).

● Process Compatibility:

○ Gravure: Can be integrated with processes like lamination, metallization (e.g., “gravure + lamination” for multi-layer food bags). Poor compatibility for changeovers as cylinders must be replaced.

○ Flexographic: Can be flexibly combined with processes like hot stamping, die-cutting, embossing. Changeovers only require replacing flexible plates (10-30 minutes per set). Suitable for integrated “printing + post-processing” production (e.g., label printing).

If you have technical questions or need to request samples, please contact our online engineers.

V. Production Efficiency and Batch Suitability

● Speed:

○ Gravure: Fast printing speed (80-300 meters/minute), suitable for high-speed continuous production (e.g., plastic film web printing). Daily output of a single production line can reach hundreds of thousands of square meters.

○ Flexographic: Slightly slower speed (50-200 meters/minute), but shorter changeover times (gravure changeovers take 1-2 hours, flexo within 30 minutes). Suitable for multi-variant, short-cycle orders.

● Batch Suitability:

○ Gravure: Only suitable for large-volume orders (typically ≥100,000 pieces); otherwise, high plate-making costs cannot be amortized (for orders under 100,000 pieces, gravure per-unit plate cost can be 5-10 times higher than flexo).

○ Flexographic: Suitable for small-to-medium batches (10,000-100,000 pieces) or multi-SKU products (e.g., beverage labels where different flavors require frequent plate changes).

VI. Typical Packaging Scenario Comparison

If you have technical questions or need to request samples, please contact our online engineers.

Summary

● The core differences between gravure and flexographic printing in the packaging field can be summarized as:Gravure: Known for “high cost, high detail, high durability,” suitable for large-volume, premium, non-absorbent material packaging (e.g., plastic flexible packaging, tobacco/alcohol boxes).

● Flexographic: Wins with “low cost, high environmental friendliness, high flexibility,” suitable for small-to-medium batches, environmentally sensitive, multi-variant packaging (e.g., corrugated boxes, food labels).

With increasingly stringent environmental policies and advancements in flexographic technology (e.g., high-definition flexo), flexo’s share in the packaging field is gradually expanding, especially in sensitive areas like food and pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, gravure, with its irreplaceable print quality, continues to dominate the high-end packaging market.