Printing mantle for printing indicia on corrugated cardboard substrates

摘要

A printing machine includes a plurality of printing rolls for custom printing multi-coloured indicia or designs on corrugated cardboard boxes. Each roll prints with ink of a different colour to the others. The design is prepared on a computer using graphics design tools and separated into components of a specific colour each. The designs are distorted asymmetrically no compensate for curvature error and each component is printed on a separate sheet of polyester or other transparent, dimensionally stable material. In one preferred embodiment, outline indicia of each element in a design component is printed on the sheet. In another embodiment, to save time, coordinate marks and identification indicia are printed on the sheet. Dies corresponding to each element are manufactured separately. A printing mantle is assembled for each roll by affixing the dies in positions determined by the printed indicia. Each die-assembled printle mantle is mounted then to its corresponding roll and the cardboard box sheets are conveyed through the machine for each roll to print thereon the design elements of a corresponding colour. An apparatus is also disclosed for assembling the mantles.