Flexographic printing presses commonly utilize an upwardly open ink fountain or tray for holding a reservoir of ink. Typically, a metering roller is partially submerged in ink in the fountain, the metering roller picking up the ink and transferring it to an anilox roller, which in turn passes the ink along through a series of rollers eventually to the paper being printed. When the ink color is to be changed, the remaining ink in the fountain must be drained, and the residual ink cleaned from the rollers and the fountain. Cleaning of the fountain itself, including the drain tube, is time-consuming, and it is critical that all residual ink be cleaned away so as not to contaminate the color of the next run on the press.
Plastic disposable fountains have been utilized on some presses to eliminate the need for cleaning the fountain, and thus assuring no contamination from residual ink in the fountain. Such disposable plastic fountains must be structurally sturdy, and hence, use a considerable amount of plastic, thereby involving commensurate expense. As most plastics are petroleum-derived, the cost of such fountains is at least indirectly driven by petroleum prices and availability.