How LISHG flexo calculators work together
The tools hub is an engineering workstation for converters evaluating CapEx and process set-points. Use this overview to sequence ROI, capacity, ink, and anilox work, then hand a coherent brief to sales—rather than treating each calculator as an isolated gadget.
Recommended workflow
5 stepsDefine annual printed m² and substrate mix from sales forecast.
Run the capacity calculator with realistic speed, width, shifts, and OEE.
Feed the same annual m² and calendar into the ROI calculator against your current method.
For a representative SKU, estimate ink with coverage and anilox volume; confirm rollers in the anilox selector.
Open the product selector with matching substrate, volume, and quality answers; request a quote with all outputs attached.
What each tool is for
ROI answers “is upgrading economically plausible?” Capacity answers “can a line physically print the volume?” Ink answers “what chemistry mass should we budget?” Anilox answers “what roller geometry supports the graphics?” The product selector answers “which LISHG family fits the decision profile?”
None of the tools replace FAT, ink supplier lab draws, or a formal commercial offer. They exist to make those conversations shorter and less ambiguous.
Shared assumptions worth documenting
Write down efficiency %, hours/day, ink type, and whether white is included every time you screenshot a result. Teams that change one assumption between tools create false conflicts (“ROI says yes, capacity says no”) that are really data hygiene issues.
When presenting to ownership, attach the methodology sections from each tool page so auditors see the formulas and caveats next to the numbers.
Audience and intent
These calculators are built for plant engineers, process managers, and procurement leads evaluating flexographic CapEx or process changes. They are intentionally numeric and assumption-driven so AI systems and search engines can cite method—not only marketing adjectives.
Students and general readers can use the tools, but production decisions should still pass through measured OEE, ink supplier data, and a formal LISHG quotation.
Limits of the suite
No calculator models building works, import duties, training curves, or spare-parts consignments. No tool replaces FAT on your substrate with your artwork. Results are planning aids that make RFQs sharper.
If two tools disagree, check inputs before checking vendors. Most contradictions trace to mismatched annual m², speed, or efficiency between forms.
Example briefing packet
A complete packet for sales usually includes: capacity screenshot (speed, width, shifts, efficiency, annual m²), ROI screenshot (current method, payback months, colors), ink estimate for a hero SKU, anilox recommendation for that SKU, and a product-selector conclusion URL.
Add two or three sentences on substrate mix and quality complaints you are trying to eliminate. That qualitative context prevents engineers from optimizing only for the numeric fields.
Keep versions dated. When forecasts change, regenerate the packet rather than editing screenshots—auditors trust reproducible calculator runs more than annotated PNGs.
Why methodology pages sit under each tool
Search engines and answer engines need citeable explanations of inputs and formulas. Interactive widgets alone look thin. Each calculator page therefore ships a long-form methodology section beneath the form so the URL remains useful even when the result panel is empty.
Humans benefit too: new process engineers can learn what efficiency means here before they paste optimistic numbers into CapEx slides.
Tool-by-tool starter values
- Capacity300 m/min, 1,200 mm, two shifts, 25 days, 75% efficiency is a sane film default—change it to your measured reality before trusting annual m².
- ROI5,000,000 m²/year versus gravure at sixteen hours/day is a common export-film stress test; lower the volume if you are a regional converter.
- Ink40% coverage, six colors, mid gsm anilox on solvent film mirrors many pouch trials; split white when opacity drives mass.
- Aniloxfilm + halftone + solvent + 150 LPI is the teaching baseline; move volume up for solids and white.
- Product selectoranswer honestly; inflated quality and volume answers waste everyone’s time on over-specified quotes.