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The XPS Crystal Certification Program

What Is XPS Crystal Certification?

The XPS Crystal platemaking certification program focuses on the plate making process as well as best-in-class print quality. The certification program is open to all XPS Crystal users and can be started when the XPS Crystal is installed, during a preventative maintenance visit of the XPS, or upon request.

Get Started
Man at the print production
XPS Certificate

Why Should I Become Certified?

The certificate helps communicate that your company offers the “best in class” plate making process:

  • Predictable and accurate plate relief
  • Highest plate making consistency available
  • Best in class plate quality

You will receive a certificate, a logo for your e-mail signature, and a certification report which you can use for internal verification purposes.

Beyond the external communication benefits, you will also be able to verify your plate making process against the industry benchmark. This will help you track plate quality over time and catch potential issues before they occur on press.

Get Started with XPS Crystal Certification

The Certification Process Has Three Steps

Step One:

Start the certification process by applying for certification using the online form.

Step Two:

Prepare the deliverables (more details below).

Step Three:

Send us your print samples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the deliverables for the certification process?
  • Minimum three different samples of printed production jobs made with the XPS. (10m/30ft each)
  • One XPS Crystal Evaluation imaged test plate (not UV exposed, not processed)
  • One XPS Crystal Evaluation imaged processed test plate (made with Esko XPS certified parameters)
  • Add this print report to every sample
Imaging plates

Our service expert will image a predefined test file on your CDI and XPS Crystal system. They will run a plate of your choice through the entire plate making process and verify the results against our reference of the same plate.

Each plate type has a reference which was carefully selected in collaboration with the respective plate vendor. The service expert will submit the results and mail the plate samples to our application center.

You will also need to provide some commercially printed jobs (minimal three different samples) made with the XPS.

Best practices:
  • We recommend selecting your most used plate from the validated XPS plate list.
  • Keep the reference plate after certification.
  • Production print sample can be any commercial packaging made with the XPS Crystal.

Send your print samples to:

Esko – Print Certification
Zusestrasse 4A
25524 Itzehoe
Germany

NOTE: Keep in mind that starting the certification process is not a guarantee your process will be certified. All elements of the platemaking process must meet Esko’s acceptation criteria in order to obtain certification. The certification is valid for two years.

It may take up to 30 days to become certified and receive certificates.

The certification process is offered as a valuable part of your Crystal XPS maintenance contract. We recommend a maintenance contract to ensure your Crystal XPS remains in optimum condition. If you have no maintenance contract, we recommend ordering a preventive maintenance including the certification process.

The XPS certification is valid for 24 months.

Esko is not certifying plates made with third party equipment or when non-Esko screens have been used.

Esko supports your quality control by verifying both imaging quality and the processing quality of your equipment in comparison to “Esko’s Certified Benchmark Reference”.

This provides a starting point and clear status of your platemaking equipment. Additionally, Esko offers a yearly re-certification option in order to be able to verify possible deviation of your process over time.

Certified Partners

Logo RB Donnelley & Sons

RR Donnelley & Sons

RRD can help solve your toughest challenges through the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of capabilities. We’ve tailored our solutions and inspired our clients to overcome challenges specific to their business. The results speak for themselves.

RRD Menasha, WI uses managed and automated workflows to reduce duplicate communications, eliminate opportunities for error, and to create files and plates that meet your specific needs, enabling your best possible print results.

Empire L.A. logo

Empire L.A.

Québec-based Empire L.A. has become the first digital prepress and press-ready flexographic plate specialist in Canada to receive ‘best in class’ certification under the new XPS Crystal Program.Since the formation of Empire L.A. in 2006 the company has become one of the biggest players in the Québec market, serving a client base across Ontario as well as parts of the United States.

Medialliance Graphic logo

Medialliance Graphic Bourgoin

Leading independent French enterprise Medialliance Graphic Bourgoin Jallieu has become the first business to achieve ‘best in class’ plate making certification under a new program introduced by Esko. “Here at Medialliance, we have secured a position as a go-to partner for companies looking for support with packaging and brand identities,” said Olivier.

Waldo logo

Waldo Limited

Waldo Limited becomes the first UK based company to achieve Esko XPS Crystal Certification. Waldo Limited, based in Louth,Lincolnshire, has been supplying the flexographic print industry for over 35 years, serving the markets of Flexible Packaging, Pre & Post Print Corrugated and Wide and Narrow Web Pre-Print with the latest in HD platemaking technology and Reprographics.

Stichnothe logo

Stichnothe

Stichnothe becomes the first German company to achieve Esko XPS Crystal Certification. Since the foundation, the company has stood for the combination of a modern machine park with competence, care, and responsibility. Stichnothe has a great history of delivering to the highest standards, and the XPS Crystal is part of that.

SGS logo

SGS Minnesota

For over 70 years, SGS moved the design, graphic services, and production industry forward. With deep marketplace experience and client relationships that span decades, they’re driven to continuously deliver better for our partners.

Lincage logo

Lincage

Lincage Imaging Systems (‘Lincage’), the Philadelphia-based packaging pre-press and flexographic platemaking specialist, has become the first company in the USA to receive ‘best in class’ certification under the XPS Crystal Program from Esko.

Cyber Graphics Logo

Cybergraphics

“We track a lot of variables in the plate room. Among them, relief height, 2 percent dot size on plate, and 50 percent dot on plate. Relief height consistency of LED has long been understood, likely because it’s easy to measure and track, but you would be amazed at how much more stable the 50 percent dot on plate is with LED compared to bank light.” Dave Smith

RediColor logo

Redi Color

“Redi Color is proud to be the first XPS Crystal Certified company in Mexico. Esko Crystal technology delivers quality, automated plate exposure to the workflow, aligning with the flexo business’s strategy to implement automated, environmentally friendly, and sustainable technologies.” – Eliana Rodríguez, General Manager

Longo logo

Longo

“XPS allowed us to improve the Quality and keep it consistent overtime … gave us a new level of Standardization” Sebastian Longo, President

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NovaFlex

“With Crystal XPS, my clients in high end wide web flexo significantly reduced press set-up on jobs as a direct benefit of even and stable plates from the XPS LED process.” Stephane Pinel – President

Lynch logo

Lynch

“We converted all our production into XPS because of the quality, consistency and easy to use that the system deliver; and also to standardize our production process…” Diego Zarlenga, Managing Partner

CSW logo

CSW Graphics

Like the previous Esko invention that preceded it, Crystal XPS is the next step in FLEXO plate-making evolution. Its fusion of LED simultaneous exposure and sexy ergonomics provide the ultimate platform for even the most demanding “dot-worshipers.” Marek M. Skrzynski VP Technology & Innovation | GPN Coordinator

Matriflexo logo

Matriflexo

“The acquisition of technology and certificate with this level reinforce our commitment to our distinguished customers” – said Luis Cordero, Matriflexo Owner, the first trade shop in Ecuador that has received the XPS Certification from Esko.

Clicheria DP Studio logo

DP Studio

At DP Studio we always make use of state-of-art technologies and with XPS Crystal we have innovated and further improved our plate exposure system, providing accuracy and speed to our work. We are delighted with the results obtained, and the most important are the benefits and high quality we are offering our Customers. XPS Certification comes to crown this new achievement! – Agnaldo Moraes, Technical Commercial Manager DP Studio

Clicheria Blumenau logo

Clicheria Blumenau

“With XPS Crystal, we further reaffirm our commitment to deliver high-performance plates, significant plate improvements and the highest level of consistency and repeatability” – Bruno Mello, Production Manager, Clicheria Blumenau

Athena Graphic logo

Athena Graphics

With offices in Belgium, France and The Netherlands, Athena Graphics provides brand support, artwork, prepress and flexo platemaking to customers around the globe, delivering more than 80,000 SKUs for more than 100 brands.

HotPack logo

HotPack

“We consider the certification as a feather in our cap, and an endorsement of our focus on quality. Being an Esko XPS Crystal Certified partner means that Hotpack can now offer best-in-class plate quality and printing excellence to the highest standards.” Abdul Jebber, Hotpack Group MD

Flexographico logo

Flexográfico

“By adding XPS Crystal technology to our business, we not only have increased quality but also enhanced repeatability and consistency in our platemaking process. By using the Crystal Screens and managing the process with Print Control Wizard, we deliver our customers personalized plates adapted to their printing conditions.” Julian Martinez, CEO

SGK Logo

SGK

SGK is the proud recipient of two XPS Crystal certifications. A global packaging and brand experience company, it has bases in Europe, North America, and the APAC region. With over 1500 clients worldwide, SGK needs the best-in-class plate quality of XPS Certification to provide consistent results to their customers across the world. Cosimo Milazzo, Production Manager at SGK, said, “We are excited to receive our second XPS certification, this time in our Toronto plate making facility. Our investments in crystal technologies allow SGK to bring enhancement opportunities to our printer/convertor partners.”

Polytec logo

Polytec

Polímeros y Tecnología, (‘Polytec’) is a leading flexible packaging manufacturer, servicing customers across Guatemala, Central America, Panama, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the USA. Using Esko XPS Crystal technology, Polytec now benefits from unparalleled platemaking consistency, increased efficiency and reduced ink consumption. “By incorporating Print Control Wizard into our automated platemaking setup, we were immediately able to harness the power of the XPS Crystal to improve our white ink opacity and appearance,” said Augusto Guerra, Prepress Manager with Polytec. “We have standardized our procedures so we can develop printing profiles in a very professional way, and we are now also on our way to reducing white ink consumption.”

Zetta Comunicadores logo

Zetta Comunicadores S.A.

We provide an integrated and personalized service that includes design, prepress, color management, and optimized platemaking for flexo printing. Working with the Esko XPS Crystal and now obtaining the XPS Certification demonstrates that we are achieving the best results in plate stability and consistency” – Oscar Sopo, Production Director, Zetta Comunicadores S.A. Colombia

Logo for Reproflex Scandinavia

Reproflex Scandinavia A/S

Reproflex has become the first platemaking and prepress specialist in the region to achieve best in class certification under the XPS Crystal Program from Esko.

The accreditation means Reproflex customers now benefit from an extra level of quality assurance, with the confidence that best practice in production processes ensures consistency and quality of final print. As an accredited business, Reproflex now benefits from benchmarking and identification of best practice around quality control processes and production efficiency.

Contact Originators logo

Contact Originators

Contact Originators has become the first UK company to be awarded ‘best in class’ XPS Crystal certification from Esko with plates specifically manufactured for use with corrugated substrates.