Prior to 1980 anilox rolls were produced by a variety of mechanical processes.

Laser-etched ceramic anilox rolls also play a part in the improvement of print quality.

Anilox rolls are often specified by their line screen, which is the number of cells per linear inch.

Experienced press operators are skilled at determining the appropriate anilox rolls for a given print job.

Depending on the detail of the images to be printed, the press operator will select an anilox roll with a higher or lower line screen.

These metal anilox rolls were sometimes sprayed with ceramic to prolong their life in the flexographic printing press.

Nicks and scratches add up quickly, so fine brushes (never brass brushes) are used for cleaning the anilox roll.

Anilox rolls were originally made using a diamond pecking machine, but modern rolls are laser engraved.

Anilox rolls are almost always designed to be removed from the press for cleaning and for swapping out with different line screen rolls.

A measured amount of ink is deposited upon the surface of the printing plate (or printing cylinder) using an anilox roll.

The characteristics of an anilox roll determine the amount of ink that will be transferred to the plate: angle of the cells, cell volume, and line screen.

Though large wide-web flexo rolls are only maneuverable by overhead crane, on smaller presses anilox rolls are often handled directly by operators.

An anilox roll is a hard cylinder, usually constructed of a steel or aluminum core which is coated by an industrial ceramic whose surface contains millions of very fine dimples, known as cells.

Depending on the design of the printing press, the anilox roll is either semi-submerged in the ink fountain, or comes into contact with a so-called metering roller, which is semi-submerged in the ink fountain.