Ink notes
Soft Start
A practical note on soft starts, helping teams bring inks, plates and impression up steadily at the start of a packaging run.
The first metres of a flexo run often reveal avoidable setup mistakes: cold ink, uneven impression, or solvent levels that were guessed instead of checked. Soft Start covers a steadier way to bring a packaging job up to speed.
Soft starts begin before the press moves. Ink temperature, solvent balance and anilox condition should be checked at the machine, not guessed from the last run. Tell us the press make and anilox setup, and we will send the soft start checklist that fits it.
Checks before first web movement
- Substrate roll and job ticket matched
- First plate set examined for edge damage and lift
- Ink batch, viscosity cup and solvent mix recorded
- Press crew and shift lead noted by name
Soft Start is read alongside the plate, ink and press item pages. The note deals with startup sequence, not only parts or consumables. That matters when colour settles late or impression is pushed too hard in the opening metres.
Building speed without shocking plates
Soft Start covers the controlled build-up at the beginning of a packaging run. Bringing ink, impression and web speed up in stages helps protect plates, reduce waste and settle colour before full production speed.
Start with the actual running conditions on site. A cold Gauteng morning, Durban humidity or dust around an open loading area can change how quickly ink transfers and dries. Soft Start treats startup as a staged process, with web speed, impression and ink feed brought up together.
Run the first metres slowly enough to read the print, not just to move stock. Early checks should include dot hold, trapping, doctor blade contact and any bounce across the repeat. A quick photo of the first acceptable print helps the next restart on the same SKU.
What the startup note covers
Reducing avoidable waste at the beginning of a packaging run starts with measured changes. Measured adjustments work better than turning several settings at once. On flexo jobs, that usually means steadier colour, less plate stress and cleaner handover into full speed.
Use Soft Start with the related press setup material before changing too many variables. Check viscosity, impression and drying again before plates or inks are swapped out. Name your press and the job on it, and we will put together the consumables for the run.
- Startup steps matched to your press
- First acceptable print kept for comparison
- Observations captured for the next rerun
Conditions that affect South African startups
Power interruptions, overnight temperature swings and mixed substrate storage can all disturb the first part of a run. Plants around Johannesburg may see colder morning starts, while coastal sites often deal with higher moisture in the air. Soft Start is written for those everyday variables, where startup waste usually begins long before full production speed.
Drying settings often need closer watching on humid days. Dust on the Highveld can show up first as contamination on plates, rollers or web handling parts. First-off samples should be timed and labelled properly when stops and restarts happen during a shift.
Operated by Astros Marketing (Pty) Ltd from 2 Makro Place, Sunnyrock 1401.
Details worth logging at startup
A practical note on soft starts, helping teams bring inks, plates and impression up steadily at the start of a packaging run.
Record the opening settings while they are fresh, especially if the job repeats often. Useful notes include ink viscosity, web speed at first saleable print, impression changes and any correction made in the first few minutes. That gives the next crew a tested startup reference instead of a rough memory.