Features
Why Choose Goking?
Plateless, Instant Job Changeovers
No plates, no screens, no setup waste. Operators load a digital file and begin printing in under one minute — compared to hours of plate-making and registration on traditional flexo lines. This unlocks profitable short-run production and eliminates make-ready material waste entirely.
Single-Pass Speed up to 110 m/min
G-series single-pass systems print all colors in one pass through a stationary printhead array. Epson configurations run at 45–80 m/min, while Seiko-equipped machines reach up to 110 m/min — 4 to 10 times faster than multi-pass, matching flexo throughput without any plate-related costs.
Three Printhead Platforms, One Fit
Epson (8–32 heads, 600/1,200 DPI, five-color CMYKW) for premium detail. Xaar (6–12 heads, grayscale) for high-viscosity reliability. Seiko (4–18 heads, up to 1,800 mm) for large-format speed. Every machine is configured to the converter's exact requirements — no one-size-fits-all compromise.
Seamless Inline and ERP Integration
Goking machines connect directly to die-cutters, folder-gluers, and stackers for continuous production flow. ERP connectivity enables automated job dispatch, real-time tracking, and digital inventory management — turning a manual print floor into a data-driven operation.
We Have The Best Solutions for Your Business
Goking is a leading manufacturer of industrial digital printing machines for the packaging industry, headquartered in Dongguan, China, with a 10,000-square-meter production facility in Huangjiang Town. We specialize in UV-curable inkjet printing systems that eliminate the need for traditional printing plates, enabling on-demand production with near-zero setup time.
Our product portfolio spans three core series: the J-series multi-pass printers for high-resolution short-run production, the G-series single-pass systems delivering 45 to 110 meters per minute for high-volume packaging lines, and the innovative GJ series 2-in-1 machines that combine both multi-pass and single-pass modes in a single platform. All systems feature flexible printhead options — Epson, Xaar, or Seiko — supporting resolutions up to 1,200 DPI and print widths from 200 to 1,800 mm across CMYK plus white color configurations.
Goking machines handle corrugated board, kraft paper, coated paperboard, and honeycomb board with CE-certified quality. Key advantages include one-minute job changes, CMYK digital color matching, inline converting line and ERP connectivity, and eco-friendly UV LED curing technology with low energy consumption. With OEM and ODM customization capabilities, Goking delivers production-ready solutions tailored to converters' specific needs across the global packaging market.
What Are Printing Plates and Why Do They Matter?
To understand the significance of plateless printing, it is important to understand what plates are and the burden they impose on analog printing operations. In flexographic printing — the dominant analog method for corrugated packaging — each color in a design requires a separate photopolymer plate. The plate is a molded rubber or photopolymer surface with raised image areas that carry ink and transfer it to the substrate.
Plate production involves several steps: creating a digital file, outputting film or direct-to-plate exposure, washing out unexposed polymer, drying, and finishing. Each step takes time and consumes materials. A typical four-color job requires four plates, and each plate costs money to produce. For a converter running dozens of jobs per day, plate costs accumulate to a significant ongoing expense.
Beyond production cost, plates impose operational burdens. They must be mounted on the press cylinder with precise registration — a process that takes 30 to 60 minutes per job. After the run, plates must be cleaned, identified, and stored in climate-controlled warehouse space for potential future reprints. Over time, plates degrade, become lost, or accumulate until the storage area overflows. Eventually, they must be disposed of as industrial waste.
A plateless digital printer eliminates this entire ecosystem. There are no plates to make, mount, clean, store, or dispose of. The digital file is the only "plate" — and it exists as data, not as a physical object. When a job is complete, the file is saved on a server. When the job needs to be reprinted, the file is recalled and printed again with identical results.
Economic Impact of Going Plateless
The economic advantages of plateless digital printing extend across multiple cost categories. Understanding each category helps converters quantify the financial benefit of transitioning from analog to digital.
| Cost Category | With Plates (Analog) | Plateless (Goking Digital) |
|---|---|---|
| Plate material | Per-job cost (4+ plates per job) | Zero |
| Plate production time | 30-120 minutes per job | Zero (instant) |
| Mounting/setup time | 30-60 minutes per job | Under 1 minute |
| Setup waste | 20-50 sheets per job | Near zero |
| Plate storage | Warehouse space + climate control | Digital files on server |
| Skilled labor | Plate maker + mounter + press crew | 1 operator |
| Plate disposal | Hazardous waste disposal cost | Not applicable |
The cumulative economic impact of these savings is substantial. For a converter running 20 jobs per day, the plate cost alone — at several dollars per plate, four plates per job — accumulates to thousands of dollars per month. Add the labor cost of 20 hours of daily setup time (20 jobs times 60 minutes each), the material cost of setup waste, and the overhead of plate storage, and the total analog overhead becomes a significant drag on profitability.
How a Plateless Digital Printer Transforms Production Workflow
The transition from plate-based to plateless printing changes not just the printing step but the entire production workflow. Understanding this transformation helps converters plan their transition to digital technology.
Order to print in minutes — In an analog workflow, the path from order to printed output includes file preparation, plate production, plate drying, plate mounting, press setup, registration adjustment, and test runs. This process takes hours. In a plateless digital workflow, the path is: file preparation, send to printer, print. The entire sequence takes minutes — typically under five minutes from order to first printed piece.
Unlimited design changes — With analog printing, design changes after plate production require new plates — additional cost and delay. With plateless digital printing, a design change is simply a file edit. The revised file is sent to the printer and the next piece reflects the change. This enables late-stage design revisions, client approvals during production, and iterative prototyping without cost penalties.
No minimum order quantity — Analog printing has an economic minimum order quantity because the plate and setup costs must be amortized across the run. Below a certain quantity, the per-piece cost is too high to be profitable. A plateless digital printer has no minimum — a single piece costs the same per unit as the hundredth piece. This enables profitable production of one-off items, samples, and micro-runs.
Variable data at no extra cost — Each piece from an analog press is identical because the plate is static. A plateless digital printer can produce unique pieces within a run — sequential numbering, personalized text, different images — at no additional cost or time. This enables track-and-trace packaging, personalized marketing, and versioned production that analog cannot support.
Goking Plateless Digital Printer Platforms
Goking offers three plateless digital printer platforms, each using UV-curable inkjet technology to print directly from digital files without plates.
J-series multi-pass — The quality-focused platform. Scanning architecture achieves up to 1200 DPI resolution through multiple ink passes. Available with 8 to 32 Epson printheads in CMYK or five-color (CMYK + W) configuration. Print widths from 264 to 525mm, speeds from 700 to 1,500m/h. Best for premium packaging, prototypes, short runs, and coated paper applications.
G-series single-pass — The volume-focused platform. Stationary printhead array deposits all colors in one pass at 45 to 80m/min. Available with 24 or 32 Epson printheads in five-color configuration, or with 4 to 18 Seiko printheads for wide-format single-color work (up to 1,800mm width, 70-110m/min). Best for high-volume corrugated board and carton production.
GJ series 2-in-1 — The flexibility-focused platform. Combines multi-pass and single-pass modes in one machine, allowing converters to switch between quality and speed as job requirements dictate. Best for converters with diverse production profiles who need both premium short-run and high-volume production capabilities.
Plateless Printing and Sustainability
The environmental benefits of plateless digital printing complement the economic benefits. By eliminating plates and the associated chemistry, plateless printing reduces the environmental footprint of packaging production in several measurable ways.
No plate chemistry — Photopolymer plate production involves UV-sensitive polymers, washout chemicals, and processing solutions that become industrial waste. Plateless printing eliminates this chemical stream entirely.
Reduced material waste — Analog setup waste (20-50 sheets per job) represents substrate material that was manufactured, transported, and then discarded. Plateless digital printing's near-zero setup waste reduces the total material input required for a given production output.
Zero-VOC ink — Goking's UV-curable ink contains no volatile organic compounds, eliminating the solvent emissions associated with analog ink systems. This reduces air pollution and simplifies environmental compliance.
No plate disposal — Used printing plates are industrial waste that requires special handling. Plateless printing eliminates this waste stream at its source — there are no plates to dispose of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a plateless digital printer match the quality of flexographic printing?
At 1200 DPI, Goking's plateless digital printers produce quality comparable to or exceeding flexographic printing for most packaging applications. For solid spot colors, flexographic may achieve slightly higher ink density, but digital offers superior gradient reproduction, fine text, and photographic image quality.
How fast can a plateless printer produce the first piece?
From file to first printed piece typically takes under five minutes. The file is sent to the RIP, processed into jetting instructions, and the machine begins printing immediately. No plates, no mounting, no registration setup — the first piece is production-ready.
Can I reprint a job without creating new plates?
Yes. In plateless digital printing, the digital file is the only "plate." To reprint a job, simply recall the file from the server and send it to the printer. The reprint is identical to the original — no plate wear, no degradation, no variation between runs.
Is plateless digital printing suitable for high-volume production?
Yes. Goking's G-series single-pass plateless printers achieve 45 to 110 meters per minute, making them suitable for high-volume corrugated and carton production. The industrial-grade Seiko configuration extends to 1,800mm print width at 70-110m/min for large-format production.
Making the Plateless Transition
Transitioning from plate-based analog printing to plateless digital printing is a strategic decision that affects multiple aspects of the operation — from production workflow to labor requirements to business model. Goking's product range, manufactured at the 10,000-square-meter Dongguan facility, provides options at every scale: from 8-head entry-level multi-pass machines for converters testing digital waters, to 32-head single-pass production engines for full-scale digital operations.
The core value proposition of a Goking plateless digital printer is the elimination of everything that plates represent: cost, delay, waste, storage, and inflexibility. By printing directly from digital files with UV-curable ink, Goking machines enable packaging converters to produce high-quality prints on demand, with no minimum run lengths, no setup penalties, and full variable data capability — all while reducing environmental impact through zero-VOC ink and near-zero material waste.
Go Plateless with Goking
Eliminate plates, reduce costs, and print on demand. Explore Goking's plateless digital printers for packaging production.
Explore Plateless PrintersLearn more: Key Features | Plateless Printing Guide | Manufacturing | Contact Us
In summary, a plateless digital printer is a printing system that produces output directly from digital files without physical plates — eliminating the cost, time, waste, and inflexibility that plates impose on analog printing operations. Goking's range of UV inkjet plateless digital printers, spanning multi-pass, single-pass, and 2-in-1 architectures with Epson, Xaar, and Seiko printheads, provides packaging converters with production-ready solutions that transform how packaging is designed, produced, and delivered. For converters seeking to modernize their operations, reduce costs, and capture new market opportunities in short-run and variable data printing, a plateless digital printer from Goking represents a strategic investment in future-ready production capability.
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Frequently Asked Question
Do you have any question?
At 1200 DPI, Goking's plateless digital printers produce quality comparable to or exceeding flexographic printing for most packaging applications. For solid spot colors, flexographic may achieve slightly higher ink density, but digital offers superior gradient reproduction, fine text, and photographic image quality.
From file to first printed piece typically takes under five minutes. The file is sent to the RIP, processed into jetting instructions, and the machine begins printing immediately. No plates, no mounting, no registration setup — the first piece is production-ready.
Yes. In plateless digital printing, the digital file is the only "plate." To reprint a job, simply recall the file from the server and send it to the printer. The reprint is identical to the original — no plate wear, no degradation, no variation between runs.
Yes. Goking's G-series single-pass plateless printers achieve 45 to 110 meters per minute, making them suitable for high-volume corrugated and carton production. The industrial-grade Seiko configuration extends to 1,800mm print width at 70-110m/min for large-format production.