I don't know who started it, but everyone seems to have a "Top Ten List." Letterman's is the most popular. Radio disc jockeys rattle them off on a daily basis. Topics run the gamut from politics, sports, to whatever current events happen to be in the news.

So let's apply this media forum to flexography. Because flexography is a complicated process, we'll call it "The Top 12 Elements to an Efficient, Profitable Flexographic Process."

Printers face many problems: Excessive waste of time and materials. Color-matching on- and off-press. Press downtime. Combination plates that require solid coverage and the smallest half-tone dots. Finding experienced press operators. Cleaning anilox rolls.

Problems vary from minor to severe. A converter may be printing award-winning quality work and need only to fine-tune the system to make it more efficient. Other printers—new and old—may be in dire straits due to a lack of control in the printing process, and in fact, be on the brink of going out of business.

By identifying, understanding and dealing with problems in a rational and scientific approach, flexo printers can run by the numbers and expect accurate, consistent results—operator to operator, shift to shift and plant to plant.

1. Admit the problem. Lose the pride. Take off the blinders. Break the paradigms. If you cannot find flaws in the existing process, look again. Better yet, get an objective opinion from an outside source. "If it's not broken, don't fix it!" won't get you on the "A" list of high-quality flexo printers.

2. Understand that there may be a better way. Despite years of experience, there are few people who truly know the entire printing process, therefore it's necessary to seek information from outside sources.

Use suppliers, schools and industry organizations like the FTA, FPA, TAPPI or TLMI to supplement practical experience with new ideas, methods and technology. The FTA's FIRST Guide can be an invaluable source of information on the entire flexographic-printing process from the concept/design stage to job quality control.

3. Make a positive decision. Once problems are identified, make a commitment to improve. If you can manage the issue internally, do so. If not, a proven method of problem resolution is gathering all suppliers to collectively analyze and determine a course of action. When all the elements of the process are represented in a meeting simultaneously, there's no finger-pointing. Anilox roll, ink, plate, prepress, substrate and press suppliers all have their own specialties.

Flexography is a process, which Webster defines as " a continuing development involving many changes." Distinguished suppliers are there to meet the challenges proactively and can bring experience from outside their own specialty. If any part of the process changes, the rest of the components will be influenced—for better or worse.

Remember, your suppliers not only serve you, they also work for the competition. Short of giving away proprietary information; "You ask the right questions. You will get the right answers."

4. Take an inventory. In my experience, anilox rolls are a great place to start, but beyond individual components, what is the entire process capable or incapable of doing?

Is the press mechanically sound? If not, what's the sense in attempting to gauge the process? Once the press is squared away, scientifically evaluate the process capability with existing elements.

Referred to by many names—Fingerprint, Characterization, or Profile—a special target image is printed on press under controlled conditions to provide key information for you and all the co-suppliers, to measure and evaluate. Data includes solid-ink density, dot gain, print contrast, gray balance, trapping and other critical factors that determine the success or failure of a press run.

5. Determine the exact nature of the process flaws. Having run a process characterization and measured the printed results, where do you stand? The best scenario would have your process at or above industry standards, and you could rest easy knowing you're in an optimized position to maintain existing business and aggressively pursue other markets. This would put you in the elite 10 percent of all flexographic printers.

Those less fortunate are in a position to identify the shortcomings of the process and deal with them. Assistance from all co-suppliers as mentioned in Step 3 can make this a relatively painless process. "Process" being the operative word. It will be an ongoing process!

6. Remove the flaws in the process. Having identified the shortcomings of the process, the printer should perform a banded-roll test to optimize the individual components that combine to create the process. The banded-roll test uses an anilox roll scientifically designed to deliver too much ink on one side and too little on the other. Whether for solid coverage, line-work, combinations or process work, the printer identifies the optimum components, scientifically, without guesswork. Anilox volumes, plate material, plate resolution, inks, mounting materials and any other components can and should be optimized.

Major goals during the banded-roll test should be to select anilox rolls scientifically and adopt thinner ink films for printing.

7. Reinventory the process. Having optimized the individual components that make up the process, re-run the characterization target. With optimized components from the banded-roll test, the printer, prepress trade house and even the print buyer can measure and understand the process capabilities. Future press runs are designed and run based on the printed-test results. No more guesswork. No more wrestling with unreasonable expectations or designs.

8. Make a list. Document what you can do. Document solid-ink densities for CMYK. What are the minimum type and line sizes that can be printed in both positive and reverse? Document necessary bar-width reduction for UPC symbols. Document expected dot-gain values for various plate/screen counts. What percentages of CMY does it take to print a neutral gray? What colors are the combinations of CMYK able to reproduce with overprints and trapping? Measure everything with a densitometer or spectrophotometer.

9. Make changes if needed. Compare your existing list with industry standards, customer demands and expectations. Where do you stand? As before, if you measure up, congratulations! Keep up the good work. If you don't, you're again in a position to identify shortcomings and scientifically address them with the support of all co-suppliers.

10. Continue to take process inventories. As a result of the process characterization, using optimized components, standards are determined for variables such as solid-ink density, dot gain, print contrast, gray balance and trapping. When these elements are printed on live jobs, in the form of running targets, the printer is able to compare the results on press with those achieved during the process characterization. Printed samples are also compared to the expected graphic results set forth by the customer in the form of a proof.

During press-run set ups, if running targets measure up to tolerances established by the print buyer, run the job. If they don't, adjustments can be made prior to running the job.

11. Continuously improve. Anilox-roll inventory management is a major factor in the continued success of any flexographic printing. As mentioned earlier, it's only one part of the process. All components must be continually monitored for acceptable performance based on current and future graphic requirements.

The best forum for such continuous improvement is the periodic meeting of all suppliers with key internal personnel to collectively review and address quality and productivity issues. Including the print buyer may create much-needed understanding concerning current limitations or future possibilities. Even minimal communication between all concerned can go a long way.

12. Stay on top. Getting to this point was not an event. It was a process. It takes time. Once you've achieved a competitive process that's predictable and profitable, keep the edge sharp by continually working the previous 11 steps. Without continuous-improvement thinking and support from proactive suppliers, the process will eventually drop off.

Print buyers are educating themselves at trade shows and seminars offered by suppliers. They know what the flexo-print process is capable of today and are watching to see what it will do in the future. Flexography, in general, is getting increased attention due to its versatility, quality and value.

The big picture for flexo appears vivid. Are you in it? Recognizing and adhering to this Top 12 list may hold the answer.