Direct answer
Count colors, count plates
A color on a flexo job is an ink that needs a plate and a station. Four process colors, two spot brand colors, a white, and a coating are already eight. The count is the spec, not a mood.
Send the file or the count with the quote request. If the count changes after plates are made, the job changes with it. Agree on the count before artwork is approved. Approval starts PCI's standard lead time of 3 to 4 weeks.
What a color means
Process color builds a photograph from a small set of inks, commonly cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. A spot color is a mixed ink for a brand color you want held as that ink. White is an ink. A coating or varnish can be a station too. Count the ones the art uses.
A logo in one Pantone-style spot color is one ink, not four, unless the file was separated into process. Ask which build the file uses before you assume.
Plates and setup
Each color becomes a plate made for the repeat and the press. More colors mean more plates to make, mount, and approve. That is setup, and it belongs in the plan for a new design. A reorder that keeps the same plates is a different conversation.
Ask who owns the plates and what happens if the art changes. The plate-ownership guide separates the file, the plates, and the right to move them.
What 10 color presses change
Ten stations let a file combine process color, several spot colors, and white in one pass. That is the practical change for buyers who used to split art across two passes or drop a brand color. PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses.
Some plants use extra process inks to widen the range a photograph can hit. Ask whether your file is built that way or as spot colors. A 10 color press does not require the art to fill every station.
When fewer colors is the right call
A one- or two-color mark, a line of type, and a barcode do not become a better package by adding inks. Fewer plates means a simpler proof and fewer things that can drift. If the brand color is one spot ink, specify that ink.
Use the extra stations when the art needs them: a photograph, several brand colors, white under the art on a clear film, or a coating. Write the reason in the RFQ so the count does not creep in prepress.
Artwork and separations
The designer and the separator have to agree on process versus spot before plates are made. Small type in a process build can fill in. A spot color named in email but missing from the file will not print.
The artwork guide covers files, proofs, and the approval that starts the clock. Send the dieline with the art so the color count and the size are one package.
New design versus reorder
A new design needs plates. A reorder can use existing plates when the art, the repeat, and the press setup are unchanged. Say which one you are asking for. If only one color changed, say which color, so the rest of the plates are not treated as new without a reason.
Send the art for a color count
Send the artwork. Ask for a color count and a plate recommendation with the quote. If the file is not ready, send the count you think you need and label it as an estimate.
| Ink | Count it when | Buyer note |
|---|---|---|
| Process colors | The photo or tint is built from them | Ask if small type is in the process build |
| Spot color | A brand color is its own ink | Name the standard you want matched |
| White | The art sits on clear or dark film | White is a color, not a free layer |
| Coating | A varnish or matte is a station | Say where it must stay off the seal |
| Unused stations | The art does not need them | Do not fill ten stations by habit |
Questions buyers ask
How many colors can flexo print?
Up to the stations on the press, one ink per station in a pass. PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses, so one pass can carry up to ten inks.
Do more colors add more work?
Yes. Each color is a plate and a station to set and approve. Add colors the art needs. Do not add them because the press has empty stations.
What is a flexo printing plate?
The plate that carries one color's image on a flexo press. It is made for the repeat and the setup. A new or changed color needs a plate.
Can flexo print photographic images?
Yes, when the file is separated for process color and the plates and press are run for that file. A photograph plus spot colors plus white is a reason to use more stations.
What is white ink on clear film?
An opaque white printed so colors read on a clear web. Count it in the color count. It is common under art on clear poly bags and clear pouch webs.
See something that needs correcting? Tell Matt.