Asahi Photoproducts new AWP™-CLFQ water-wash plate is the first solventless plate certified for Esko Quartz imaging. The new plate combines pixel-level precision with CleanPrint productivity and sustainability benefits to help converters achieve gravure-type quality in flexographic printing.
AWP™-CLFQ marks a milestone in high-end flexography. The plate is designed for Esko Quartz screening and is also compatible with Esko Crystal MCWSI workflows. Its certification confirms the ability of AWP™-CLFQ to hold Esko’s finest pixel structures on the plate, which merge into a single stable printed dot on press, delivering sharp highlights, smooth transitions to zero, and dense solids. All within the familiar AWP™ water-wash platemaking process with CleanPrint.
“AWP™-CLFQ gives converters a decisive reason to switch from gravure to flexo,” said Aki Kato, Senior General Manager of the Photoproducts Division. “By combining the precision of Esko Quartz with the productivity of Asahi’s CleanPrint, we deliver a level of quality and process consistency previously exclusive to gravure, now with a sustainable solventless workflow.”
Following the certification, Asahi Photoproducts has initiated a controlled commercial roll-out of AWP™-CLFQ for quality-driven converters worldwide, supported by Esko and local Asahi distribution partners. Broader availability will follow as production capacity scales.
The AWP™-CLFQ plate is specifically engineered for flexible packaging and film substrates, where gravure printing has long been dominant. With its Quartz-driven pixel-precise dot formation and clean ink transfer, the new plate delivers exceptional print density and tonal range even on demanding films.
This launch supports Asahi’s broader Solvent ZERO strategy – replacing solvent-based platemaking with sustainable, high-performance water-wash alternatives – with a primary focus on flexible packaging to replace rotogravure with flexo; the plate also performs strongly in narrow-web UV flexo printing.
AWP™-CLFQ shows outstanding performance with the latest polyurethane (PU) solvent and water-based ink developments in the industry. The slightly stickier ink binder leaves no ink residues on the plate, thanks to Asahi’s legacy CleanPrint surface energy technology, which reduces press stops and enhances OEE.
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The new AWP™-CLFQ water-wash plate is the first solventless plate certified for Esko Quartz imaging
For further information about Asahi Photoproducts and its sustainable flexographic solutions, please contact hello@asahi-photoproducts.com or visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com