Flexographic printing

1. A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion; and

establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing establishes the non-printing feature as including at least one pixel that is turned on.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising screening a continuous tone image to create the halftone representation.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the halftone representation is an amplitude-modulated screen representation of the continuous tone image.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the halftone representation is a frequency-modulated screen representation of the continuous tone image.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of screening comprises comparing the image to a threshold array on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying step and the establishing step are performed in a single operation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of establishing is operative to establish non-printing dots as the non-printing image features, and wherein the non-printing dots are no larger in area than 2500 μm 2 .

8. A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion; and

establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing is operative to establish one or more non-printing dots as the non-printing image feature.

9. A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion; wherein the step of identifying is operative to identify marginally printable image features that are too small to be reliably printed as the identified printable image features, and

establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of identifying comprises establishing a minimum size of image feature that is reliably printable as the at least one decision criterion.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of identifying comprises locating in the halftone representation, image features that are smaller than the minimum size.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of identifying comprises locating in the image, image features that are smaller than the minimum size.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image feature is a dot and the minimum site corresponds to a minimum reliably printable dot area.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image feature is a line and the minimum size corresponds to a minimum reliably printable line thickness.

15. A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

screening a continuous tone image to create the halftone representation;

identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion; and

establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying, wherein the step of establishing at least one non-printing image feature comprises adding a non-printing dot to the halftone representation.

16. A method for preparing a halftone representation of an image for use in making a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

identifying at least one printable image feature in the halftone representation to be used in making the flexographic plate according to at least one predetermined decision criterion;

establishing at least one non-printing image feature proximate to the printable image feature identified in the step of identifying; and

removing sub-marginally printable image features from the halftone image representation.

17. A method for preparing a flexographic printing plate, the method comprising:

establishing a relief floor by back-exposing the flexographic printing plate;

receiving halftone image data representing an image to be printed, the halftone image data defining a plurality of printable image features, at least one non-printing feature disposed proximate to a marginally printable image feature, and at least one non-printing background area wherein the at least one non-printing feature is designed to raise the relief floor to a substantially uniform height proximate to the marginally printable image feature in order to improve the printability of the marginally printable image feature;

exposing the flexographic printing plate in accordance with the halftone image data; and

processing the flexographic printing plate to develop a relief image.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of exposing the flexographic plate comprises:

preparing a film mask in accordance with the halftone image data; and

exposing the flexographic printing plate to image-forming radiation through the film mask.

19. A flexographic printing plate, comprising:

a background area corresponding to areas of an image to be printed having no printable image features;

an ink-transferring surface defined in relief to the background area and formed in accordance with the image to be printed, the ink-transferring surface having a plurality of printable image features, and

at least one non ink-transferring raised portion of the background area of substantially uniform height disposed proximate to a marginally printable image feature to improve the printability of the marginally printable image feature.