COMPARATIVE SID AND TVI ANALYSIS OF CHROMO AND COATED PE WHITE ON FLEXOGRAPHY PRINTING PROCESS

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of Solid Ink Density (SID) and Tonal Value Increase (TVI) on Chromo substrate and coated Polyethylene (PE) white substrate using the flexography printing process. The objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of substrate characteristics on ink transfer efficiency, color strength, and tonal reproduction, which are critical parameters for achieving high-quality flexographic prints. Printing trials were conducted under controlled production conditions using identical press settings, UV LED ink systems, anilox configurations and standardized measurement procedures to ensure consistent comparison between substrates. SID was measured to assess the amount and uniformity of ink transferred to the substrate surface, while TVI was analyzed to determine the increase in printed tonal values relative to original image data and its effect on print accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that substrate composition and surface properties significantly influence print performance. Coated PE white exhibited different ink holdout and surface interaction characteristics compared with Chromo substrate, affecting achievable solid ink density and tonal reproduction behavior. Variations in SID contributed to differences in color intensity and print consistency, whereas changes in TVI affected dot gain, tonal gradation, and image detail reproduction. The findings of this research provide a deeper understanding of substrate-dependent print characteristics in flexography and offer practical guidance for substrate selection and process optimization to improve print quality, color consistency and production efficiency in packaging applications.