EskoArtwork announced in September 2011 that HD Flexo—introduced two years earlier—had evolved into the new standard for flexographic printing quality across labels, flexible packaging, and corrugated applications. The technology combined 4000 dpi HD optics with specialized screening to deliver sharper text, smoother tints, and expanded color gamut compared with conventional flexo plate imaging.
HD Flexo enabled higher screen rulings while reducing minimum printable dot size, addressing the historical gap between flexo and gravure in smooth vignettes, tonal range, and solid ink density. Esko reported that customers confirmed improved quality and consistency on existing press equipment without requiring wholesale press replacement.
For flexible packaging converters, the development mattered because brand managers increasingly evaluated shorter print runs and versioned SKUs without accepting visible quality trade-offs. HD Flexo offered a pathway to compete for gravure-originated work while retaining flexo's economics on medium and long runs.
Esko emphasized an open-systems approach compatible with digital flexo plates from multiple vendors, allowing converters to adopt HD imaging workflows without locking into proprietary plate formats or limiting press width and productivity options.
The September 2011 positioning foreshadowed further HD Flexo innovations shown at drupa 2012, including Pixel+ optical and screening enhancements and next-generation plate imaging concepts that would target combined highlight smoothness and gravure-like solids on a single plate.