Ink notes
Export Week
A practical note on export-week jobs, where labels, cartons and film packs must stay consistent across larger dispatch volumes.
Export periods put extra pressure on labels, cartons, film and dispatch paperwork. Longer runs, stricter pack-out and tighter booking windows mean flexo teams need cleaner preparation. Export Week is our note on getting plates, inks and packaging jobs ready for heavy shipping schedules.
Export Week needs cleaner records than a normal local run. Cartons, labels and film for larger dispatch volumes must tie back to the same ink mix, plate version and pack-out note across Gauteng, KZN and the Western Cape.
Checks before export-volume runs
- Dispatch site and booking window listed
- One first-off photo kept under press lighting
- Plate code, ink ref, and SKU matched
- Buyer, planner, and press contact named
Read this note next to the matching supply pages. Export jobs depend on the small details being fixed early, especially plate repeats, ink references and substrate call-outs. That makes reprints and top-up batches easier to check against the original dispatch standard.
What Export Week looks like on press
Export week puts extra pressure on consistency because labels, cartons, and printed film often move in larger volumes with less room for variation.
Start with the substrate, destination and shipment date. OR Tambo export weeks, Sunnyrock warehouse cut-offs, coastal humidity and inland dust all change how tightly a flexo job must be prepared. Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town plants each feel that pressure differently when bookings and pack-out records tighten.
Take the reference photo before the run settles into speed. Include the first approved print, the ink notation and the carton or label code so the night shift can compare like for like. That record helps when a repeat batch must match stock packed earlier in the week.
What stays with the job
The useful output is a traceable set of checks for press, stores and dispatch. Export work benefits from one version of the plate, one ink reference and one packing instruction being visible to everyone handling the batch. Extra options create confusion when booking windows are short and stock is moving out fast.
Read Export Week together with the related Press paths note and an Ink notes entry before adding new variables to the run. Check the job sheet, ink reference, plate requirement and dispatch count one more time before cartons leave for courier or airport handling. Name your press and the job on it, and we will put together the consumables for the run.
- Route matched to the active press line
- First approval image saved before full speed
- Named contacts for planning and dispatch
Conditions that shift export output
We work around OR Tambo export weeks, Sunnyrock warehouse cut-offs, Crown Mines production floors, and showroom traffic in smaller malls. A flexo plant with plates on file and repeat jobs on press does not need a day-one process. If your operation is already running, tell us that upfront. Separate the urgent plate or ink request from the standing weekly production plan.
Coastal plants may need closer watch on ink behaviour during longer runs. Inland sites often see dust build-up affect sensors, guides and wipe-down frequency. Load-shedding also changes when first-off samples, re-start samples and dispatch records should be logged.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Export Week handover points
A practical note on export-week jobs, where labels, cartons and film packs must stay consistent across larger dispatch volumes.
Log the note on the day the export job is planned so ink references, plate IDs and dispatch checks stay tied to one record. Keep it next to the job sheet and a sample pull when a buyer or warehouse team asks for supporting paperwork.