Flexography is best described as using what type of plate?

Flexography is best described by the use of flexible plastic or synthetic plates with relief images. This printing technique involves creating a raised image on a flexible plate, which can be made from materials like photopolymer or rubber. The flexibility of these plates allows them to conform to varying surfaces, enabling high-speed printing on a wide range of substrates, including plastics, paper, and other materials.

The relief images on the plates enable efficient ink transfer, making flexography particularly effective for packaging, labels, and flexible materials. This versatility and the ability to print in continuous patterns make flexography one of the most widely used printing processes today.

In contrast, wooden plates with raised images are more associated with traditional woodblock printing, while metal plates are typically used in processes like lithography and engraving, which focus on precision rather than the broad applications offered by flexography. Rubber plates, while sometimes used for textile prints, do not encompass the full range of materials and applications that flexographic plates do. Thus, the correct option accurately captures the essence of flexography.