Black mask coatings used in Gravure applications are similar to those used for the ITR flexographic form, except, of course, for certain, key functional differences that require coating modifications. The function of the coating in Gravure applications is also two-fold. Firstly, it has a high sensitivity to various plate-setter lasers such as Diode-array (830 NM), Nd:YAG (1060 NM) Fiber (1110 NM) and CO2 (10,600 NM). As a result of this high sensitivity, digitally imaged coatings further improve the quality of Gravure print forms. Secondly, the coating acts as a "resist" that allows chemical etching of the copper or zinc cylinder with Gravure cells. Due to NuPro's various formulations, the Digital Coating can be applied by several coating methods, such as immersion, spray or ring coating.

The employment of a resist coating through mask ablation enables the creation of cost-effective, high quality, digital Gravure print forms. Compared to the analog image transfer method [which relies on master negatives to create print forms], resist coatings provide users with workflow advantages (no processing step of the resist), and grant much greater control over cell diameters; both of which result in the production of consistent, higher quality print forms. In addition, utilization of Digital Coatings proves much more cost-effective than either the electromechanical Gravure or direct laser ablation methods. Compared to both electromagnetic Gravure and direct laser ablation methods, mask ablation applications produce consistent, high quality print forms but with only a fraction of the capital investment.

The laser imaging removes the mask (creates a positive image) through a thermal ablation process at the areas which will later print on the substrate. The laser process does not affect the copper because the ablation threshold for copper is much higher than that of the mask. Time controlled chemical etching generates about 10 to 50 µm deep gravure cells in the copper surface. The cells are autotypical: meaning that all cells are equal in depth and the highlights and the shadows of the grayscale are determined by the Gravure cells having varying diameters. After removing the Digital Coating the cylinder is electroplated with a 5 µm thick chromium layer to guarantee a long stability of the form in the press. Once again, NuPro offers a wide variety of resist coatings to address the diverse needs in digital Gravure applications.