At LOUPE Americas, Esko has showcased its latest solutions across both prepress and production workflows throughout the entire label and packaging value chain.
“We are excited to showcase our Spec-to-Pack strategy, which helps brands and converters accelerate packaging development, improve collaboration and reduce errors from concept through to finished pack,” says Jan De Roeck, Esko director of marketing, strategy and industry relations.
‘The Esko ecosystem connects packaging specification, artwork management, prepress, and print production in a single, integrated workflow,” he continues. “By eliminating disconnected processes and manual handoffs, it helps brands and converters significantly accelerate time-to-market through boosting packaging development, improving collaboration, and reducing errors from concept through to finished pack.”
“At LOUPE, we are not only giving demonstrations of how our integrated cloud and SaaS solutions achieve this but also how new AI-induced capabilities improve efficiency of the operator at several instances across the prepress workflow,” adds De Roeck. “As we continue to reinforce the importance of an integrated workflow, we are exhibiting in Chicago alongside our partners X-Rite – who are demonstrating their latest color innovations – and Pantone – who are showcasing their PMS Formula Guides and ‘universal language of color’ tools.”
Hardware highlights
Leading the Esko hardware highlights is the new XPS Spark 4835, a flexo plate LED exposure unit that replaces traditional UV tube banks, delivering up to 80% lower energy consumption while eliminating mercury and the need for tube replacement. Esko is also highlighting Quartz Thermal Screens, extending the proven performance of Quartz screening technology to thermal plate production and enabling gravure-like print quality across solvent, water, and thermal-based applications.
Software highlights
On the software side, WebCenter Pack takes center stage, showcasing automated job onboarding, instant preflight feedback, templated specifications, no-login file uploads, integrated approvals and version control. Together with Flexo Front End+, which can reduce file preparation times by as much as 50%, these innovations demonstrate how Esko is helping packaging converters deliver faster, smarter, and more connected production workflows, the company reports.
“Traditionally, flexographic platemaking has relied on a collection of separate technologies, from RIPs and screening software to calibration tools and manual production steps,” remarks De Roeck. “Managing these independently can introduce unnecessary complexity, increase setup time, and make it more difficult to achieve consistent, repeatable results.
“We are excited that LOUPE visitors have the chance to see first-hand how the new XPS Spark, Quartz Thermal Screens and Flexo Front End+ combine essential capabilities to enable platemakers to simplify production, minimize manual intervention, and deliver reliable, high-quality results more quickly,” he adds.
Esko has also been collaborating with a number of partners to bring the interactive Label Trail to LOUPE Americas 2026. A guided tour that takes visitors on a complete end-to-end journey through the modern label production process, the Label Trail takes in every stage from job creation to the finished product. Led by industry experts, the experience showcases the latest advances in workflow automation, sustainability, carbon footprint measurement, digital printing, embellishment, smart packaging, product authentication, and finishing through a series of live demonstrations. They are taking place at the booths of Avery Dennison, CarbonQuota, Cerm, Esko, Flint Group Digital Xeikon, Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM), KURZ and Scribos.
