Rotogravure Printing Machines
Rotogravure printing presses from Windmöller & Hölscher for converters printing flexible packaging on film, foil, paper and laminates. Gravure — often written roto gravure — prints from an engraved cylinder, and it is the process converters choose when long runs have to look the same from the first reel to the last. K Group is the authorized agent in Pakistan.
What is a rotogravure printing machine?
A rotogravure printing machine prints from metal cylinders with the image engraved into their surface as tiny cells. Each cylinder picks up ink, a doctor blade wipes the surface clean, and the web is pressed against the cylinder to draw the ink out of the cells. Every colour has its own print unit and dryer.
The buyers are flexible packaging converters printing film and laminates for food and consumer goods. Gravure suits them when the order book is built on high-volume, long runs: the engraved cylinder holds its image over a very long run, so colour and detail stay consistent from reel to reel and from one repeat order to the next.
The trade-off is the cylinder itself. Every job needs a set of engraved cylinders, one per colour, made before the press can run. That cost is spread thinly across a long run and heavily across a short one, which is why gravure and flexo usually end up serving different work.
Rotogravure presses for flexible packaging
Rotogravure presses from Windmöller & Hölscher, for converters printing film, foil, paper and laminates.
HELIOSTAR II S
W&H — rotogravureA premium rotogravure press for high-speed, high-quality flexible packaging.
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HELIOSTAR II A
W&H — rotogravureA cost-efficient gravure printing machine for standard flexible packaging.
View details →Related gravure equipment
Cylinder and parts cleaning
Flexo Wash gravure cylinder cleaning · Flexo Wash press parts washers
Doctor blades
PrimeBlade steel doctor blades · PrimeBlade blade edge profiles · PrimeSeals & supplies
Web inspection
Unilux web inspection strobes
Flexo or gravure?
Flexo vs gravure at a glance
| Consideration | Flexo press | Rotogravure press |
|---|---|---|
| Image carrier | Photopolymer plates or sleeves | Engraved cylinders |
| Best suited to | Short-to-medium runs, frequent job changes | Long, repeating runs |
| Job changeover | Lighter, faster | Full cylinder set change |
| Print consistency over long runs | Good | Highest |
| Main recurring cost | Plates, aniloxes, sleeves | Cylinders |
| Typical substrates | Film, paper, board, woven PP | Film, foil, paper, laminates |
Most converters asking for a rotogravure machine are also weighing a flexo press. These questions usually settle it. If the answers point to flexo, see our flexo printing machines.
How long are your runs? Gravure cylinders cost more to make than flexo plates, and that cost is earned back over length. Long, repeating runs favour gravure; a book full of short jobs usually favours flexo.
What substrate are you printing? Both processes print film, foil, paper and laminates. Thin and stretch-sensitive films put the emphasis on web handling and register control, so ask how each press manages tension on your specific material.
What print quality does the brand owner expect? Gravure holds fine detail, smooth gradients and solid colour consistently over a long run. Where the artwork and the customer demand that consistency job after job, gravure is the safer choice.
How often do you change jobs? Every gravure job change means swapping a full set of cylinders. If changeovers are frequent, look closely at how the press handles cylinder changes — or whether flexo, with lighter sleeves and plates, fits your order book better.
Where is your budget going? With gravure, much of the ongoing spend is in cylinders rather than the press. With flexo, more of it sits in plates, aniloxes and sleeves. Compare the whole cost of running each process on your real job mix, not just the machine.
Rotogravure printing machine price in Pakistan: what determines it
We do not publish prices, because a press is not a catalogue item — two converters asking for “a rotogravure printing machine” can be quoted very differently. What we can do is be clear about what moves the number, so you can size a budget before asking.
Number of colour units comes first. Each print unit carries its own inking, doctor blade, impression and dryer, so every colour you add adds a complete station.
Web width scales almost everything else. A wider web means wider cylinders, rollers, dryers and frames, and heavier cylinders to handle at each change.
Speed class matters because a faster press needs stronger drives, tighter register control and more drying capacity to keep up. Buying speed your work will never use costs money twice: once at purchase and again in energy.
Drying system is set by your inks, substrates and speed. Solvent-based gravure also brings extraction and, often, solvent recovery, which is a plant decision as much as a press option.
Automation level covers register control, inspection, cylinder handling and job-change automation. Each adds cost and each buys back time and waste at every changeover.
Auxiliary equipment is routinely underestimated: cylinder storage and handling, cylinder cleaning, doctor blades, ink supply, inline lamination or coating, and the installation, commissioning and training that bring the press into production.
Tell us what you need to print and we will come back with a specification and a price for it.
Rotogravure printing machines: common questions
What is a rotogravure printing machine?
A rotogravure printing machine is a press that prints from engraved metal cylinders. The image is engraved into each cylinder as tiny cells; the cylinder picks up ink, a doctor blade wipes the surface clean, and the ink left in the cells transfers to the web. Each colour has its own print unit and dryer. It is used mainly for flexible packaging printed in long runs.
What is the difference between rotogravure and flexo printing?
Rotogravure prints from engraved metal cylinders; flexo prints from flexible photopolymer plates or sleeves inked by an anilox roller. Gravure cylinders cost more to make but hold their image over very long runs, so gravure suits long, repeating jobs where consistency matters most. Flexo plates are cheaper and faster to change, so flexo suits short-to-medium runs and frequent job changes.
What is the price of a rotogravure printing machine in Pakistan?
A rotogravure printing machine is not a catalogue item, so there is no fixed price. The quote depends on the number of colour units, web width, speed class, drying system, automation level and auxiliary equipment such as cylinder handling and cleaning. See what determines the price above, then speak to a specialist for a specification and a quotation.
What materials can a rotogravure press print?
The rotogravure presses K Group supplies print film, foil, paper and laminates for food and non-food flexible packaging. The HELIOSTAR II S is designed for the full range of flexible-packaging substrates, including sensitive films such as PE. The HELIOSTAR II A is built for standard flexible packaging on film and paper substrates.
Who manufactures the rotogravure presses K Group supplies in Pakistan?
K Group supplies rotogravure presses from Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H), the German manufacturer of machinery for flexible packaging. The range covers the HELIOSTAR II S, a premium press for high-speed, high-quality flexible packaging, and the HELIOSTAR II A, a cost-efficient press for standard flexible packaging. K Group is the authorized agent for W&H in Pakistan, covering sales, installation, service and spare parts.
The brand behind these machines
Windmöller & Hölscher — German manufacturers of machinery for flexible packaging, spanning blown film extrusion, flexo and gravure printing, and converting. The HELIOSTAR II S and HELIOSTAR II A are their rotogravure presses: the II S for the most demanding work, the II A for standard flexible packaging. K Group is the authorized agent for W&H in Pakistan.
Pressroom equipment — Flexo Wash cleaning systems, PrimeBlade doctor blades and Unilux web inspection. K Group is the authorized agent for each in Pakistan.
Related: flexo printing machines for shorter runs and frequent job changes, and extruder machines for plastics & film make the substrate this prints on. Slitting machines cut the printed reels to finished width, and bag making machines turn them into bags and pouches.
Ready to discuss a rotogravure press?
Choose a machine above to see its details and send an enquiry to our specialists.