Method for imaging flexographic plates

1. A method for reducing a cost of imaging flexographic plates by reducing waste comprising the steps of:

a) receiving an electronic art file;

b) displaying said file on a computer display;

c) selecting a set of polygonal areas from said displayed file;

d) calculating cost results associated with said selected set of polygonal areas for producing a flexographic plate wherein said cost results include cost of material and loaded labor cost reflected by said selected set of polygonal areas;

e) displaying said cost results and if said cost results are satisfactory go to step f), if results are not satisfactory go to step c);

f) ganging said selected polygonal areas into a compacted ganged file;

g) imaging said compacted ganged file on said flexographic plate; and

h) cutting said compacted flexographic plate according to said selected set of polygonal areas into independent flexographic plate pieces.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

i) mounting said flexographic plate pieces on a carrier while matching the original structure of said file for imaging.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said plate material includes at least plate material, carrier sheets, glue, Mylar film, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said loaded labor includes at least of imaging a plate area, cutting said plate area to plate pieces, mounting said plate pieces on a carrier sheet or a combination thereof.

5. A method for reducing waste in imaging of flexographic plate by automatically calculating the associated cost of said flexographic plate comprising the steps of:

receiving a file for imaging on a flexographic imaging device;

displaying said file for imaging on a computer display;

selecting a set of polygonal areas from said file for imaging in response to a cost calculation associated with said selected set of polygonal areas for producing said flexographic plate;

automatically offering alternative polygonal areas based on automatic cost calculation analysis based on said selected polygonal areas wherein said cost calculation analysis includes cost of material and loaded labor cost reflected by said selected set of polygonal areas;

ganging said selected polygonal areas into a compacted ganged file;

imaging said compacted ganged file on said flexographic imaging device to produce compacted flexographic plate;

cutting said compacted flexographic plate according to said selected set of polygonal areas into independent flexographic plate pieces; and

mounting said flexographic plate pieces on a carrier while matching the original structure of said file for imaging.