Baltimore – Vertis Communications, a results-driven marketing communications company that delivers inventive advertising, direct marketing and interactive solutions to prominent brands across North America, today announced the installation of new technology in its Irving, Texas facility that will enhance its capabilities and provide new options for its packaging clients. Vertis is augmenting its current platemaking solutions through the addition of a KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic Platemaking System to produce high-quality printing plates for flexible packaging printers and brand owners.
 
The advanced functionality of the FLEXCEL NX System will enable Vertis, an established leader in flexographic platemaking, to offer its packaging customers advantages that extend beyond the boundaries of traditional flexo printing. Consumer packaged goods companies and packaging converters will realize a number of benefits from the system, including:
 
Quality:  Consistent brand representation through true one-to-one reproduction of images from file to plate, higher print densities, better print contrast and cleaner tones;

Efficiency:  Competitive positioning and speed-to-market through reduced file prep time and faster set-up;

Value: Reduced production costs thanks to more durable, extended-life plates capable of longer runs;

Conservation: Driven by reduction in production waste and overall reduction in total number of plates used.

“Consumer awareness is hard currency in the marketing world, and major consumer brands that turn to Vertis for support expect advanced packaging and marketing solutions that position them prominently in a crowded marketplace,” said Jerry Sokol, Interim President & Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Vertis Communications.”Our investment in Kodak’s FLEXCEL NX System demonstrates Vertis’ commitment to providing our clients a distinct competitive edge through superior package design they can deliver quickly and efficiently.”
 
Unlike other flexographic platemaking systems, the FLEXCEL NX System uses unique technology to produce plates with sturdy flat top dot structures. The flat top configuration, together with award winning KODAK DIGICAP NX Screening, is key to superior on press performance and delivers consistent, repeatable and predictable printing with increased shelf impact that more clearly and accurately reflects product branding. This advanced technology can deliver results that surpass those achievable with traditional plate technology, enabling print buyers to take advantage of the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of flexography without having to compromise the level of print quality they would normally expect from gravure, offset or digital printing.
 
“The FLEXCEL NX System is innovative because it pushes the boundaries of traditional flexo printing and opens doors for brand new flexographic applications,” said Oscar Planas, Vice President, Marketing, Prepress Solutions at Kodak. “The system produces results that truly match the strengths of gravure printing for flexible packaging, which enables customers to enter the marketplace with superior packaging that has a real impact.”
 
To ensure that client brands are consistently represented across platforms, media and geographies, Vertis offers comprehensive turnkey packaging services from consumer research and creative design to art production, photography, 3D rendering and illustration, premedia to brand management. Additional resources are also available through Vertis’ partnerships with Print Quality Management resources and a large network of packaging printers in Asia, which enable clients to manage their brands and achieve meaningful efficiencies around the globe.