Introduction

Printing is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States - employing over 1.3 million people in over 55,000 establishments in 2011. The industry is dominated by small and medium sided businesses, most employing fewer than 20 employees. According to the Flexible Packaging Association, the industry directly employs over 85,000 people.

Flexographic presses are capable of producing good quality impressions on many different substrates. Flexography is the least expensive and simplest of the printing processes used for decorating and packaging printing.

The use of flexographic printing presses is on the rise because it is relatively simple operation and is easily adapted to use water-based inks. The widespread use of water-based inks in flexographic printing means a large reduction in VOC emissions compared to the heatset web, offset lithographic, or gravure printing processes.

Applications

A major portion of flexographic printing is housed within flexible packaging manufacturing facilities. Flexographic printing is characterized by relief type plates (raised image areas) comprised of flexible material such as rubber or nitrile. Flexographic printing is used for longer print runs, unlike offset printing which may run short runs of just a few thousand impressions (i.e. brochure) or similarly long print runs of up to 1,000,000 impressions.

Typical products printed with flexographic printing processes include: 

• food packaging
• medical packaging
• newspapers
• business forms
• envelopes
• adhesive and non-adhesive backed tapes
• labels
• corrugated containers
• multiwall and paper sacks
• plastic bags
• milk and beverage cartons
• disposable cups
• film

Printing industry demographics

Number of printing establishments in the United States (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 County Business Patterns)

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes associated with flexographic printing operations