Rotogravure Printing Rollers

Rotogravure printing rollers are steel or copper cylinders. A thin chrome layer covers the surface for wear resistance. The outer wall contains thousands of tiny pockets that store ink. The lower part of the roller sits in the ink pan. While the roller turns, the pockets fill. A flat steel blade wipes away surplus ink so that only the pockets retain it. Film or foil moves through the nip between the engraved roller and a rubber covered impression roller. Pressure forces the ink out of the pockets plus onto the substrate. The depth and spacing of the pockets control how much ink reaches the material. Deep pockets give strong colour - shallow pockets give faint colour. Because every revolution delivers the same ink volume, the image stays uniform across the full web. The rollers run at full press speed for days but also still deliver crisp detail. Chrome resists solvents and abrasion - the cylinder needs only routine cleaning to maintain its accuracy.