Certain Offset Ink Increases Print Quality And Productivity

There are certain types of offset ink that increase print quality and productivity. When purchasing industrial-grade offset ink , there are five major categories to be considered.

Coldset Ink

Look for newspaper ink for web-fed offset newspaper printing in a low rub ink series. It is fast setting, producing clean colors, sharp printing, with quick plate cleaning upon set-up. This series comes in three viscosity ranges.

Coldset premium inks are available that produce near commercial quality prints. These inks are suitable for uncoated paper such as newsprint. They produce high color intensity results and are low rub and set-up resistant.

Heatset Ink

When considering heatset ink, look for one that produces strong, bright colors and controlled emulsification. It should offer excellent glossy sharp images on good quality coated paper. Aromatic free, this ink should contain soy oil to give optimal balance between the press stability needed for long run times at high speeds.

There are other heatset inks that are high quality, which offer the same features as the one previously described. However, due to lower tack and viscosity, they do not produce results quite as sharp.

Sheet-fed Ink

There are now new inks with excellent ink/fount balance and heat resistant visco-elastic body, which produce superb printing on long run, high-speed presses. They produce high glossy results and are fast setting and drying. Using a blend of highly refined low aromatic distillate and vegetable oils, this type of ink is considered clean technology. In combination with its ability to print with less IPA, pollutants to the environment are minimized.

Soy Oil Based Inks

There are now green inks that are environmentally friendly containing more than 20 percent soy oil.

They give high value results on long run, high-speed presses and can be utilized on glossy coated paper or plain coated paper.

Gravure Ink

Colored gravure ink, used in intaglio (engraving or etching) printing systems, can be used on a variety of materials including cardboard cartons, cellophane, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl chloride, metal foil, and decorative and protective board.

For environmental concerns, worker safety, and meeting challenges head-on, it is important to choose an offset ink manufacturing dedicated to changing with the times, staying abreast of what is new in the industry and engaging in constant technological research.