Editing Anilox (section)

=== Anilox roll specifications ===
There are two ways to specify anilox roll settings: on transfer volume or on line count. Each specification has both a European standard and an American standard.

==== Transfer volume ====
Transfer volume is the volume of ink that will be transferred per unit surface area of paper. The European standard for transfer volume is cm<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>2</sup> or cubic centimetre per square meter, which means 1 cm<sup>3</sup> of ink will be transferred onto 1 m<sup>2</sup> of paper.

Sometimes ink suppliers will give a recommended transfer weight per square meter, expressed in g/m<sup>2</sup>. This can be converted to cm<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>2</sup> by dividing by the density of the ink in g/cm<sup>3</sup>. 

The American standard for transfer volume is a billion cubic microns per square inch, typically written as BCM / in<sup>2</sup>, BCM/sq in, or BCM. A cubic micron (μm<sup>3</sup>) is a unit of volume and one billion cubic microns (1 000 000 000 μm<sup>3</sup>) is equal to 0.001 cm<sup>3</sup>. Since one square meter is equal to 1550 square inches, it follows that <u>1 BCM/in<sup>2</sup> = 1.55 cm<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>2</sup></u>.

==== Line count ====
Line count<ref>{{cite web|title=What is a line screen?|url=http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/color_line_screen.htm}}</ref> measures the fineness of the pattern on the anilox roll. It measures how many cells are engraved per centimetre or inch.

In Europe the standard is LPCM or lines per centimeter.

In America, the standard is LPI or lines per inch.

The conversion from transfer volume to line count is not straightforward. This is because depending on the pattern used for the cell and depth of gravure of the anilox roll, the cell might contain higher or lower volumes of ink. The only way to convert cm<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>2</sup> (transfer volume) to LPCM (cell finesse) or BCM to LPI is to look at the conversion chart provided by the anilox roll supplier.

Also, any given anilox roll will age after some time and its actual transfer volume will be less and less.