In gravure and flexographic printing, this flexible blade rests directly against the rotating image cylinder or anilox roll. It shears off all surface ink, leaving ink only inside the recessed cells that will transfer to the substrate.
Check the doctor blade for nicks, because we're getting a continuous thin line of cyan dragging across the web.
A worn or improperly angled doctor blade will leave a microscopic film of ink on the non-image area, causing a defect known as scumming.
Related terms
Anilox
A specialized cylinder used in flexographic printing to deliver a precise volume of ink to the plate.
Gravure
An intaglio printing process that transfers ink from microscopic cells engraved into a rotating cylinder.
Intaglio
A printing method where the image is incised into a surface and holds the ink below the plate level.