Pearlescent ink: Makes other kind of printing effects shine

Merck & Co., Germany is the world's premier pearl pigment manufacturer and supplier. It has accumulated rich experience in pearlescent printing and made active efforts to improve the adaptability of pearlescent pigments to various printing methods. The reproduction of the pearlescent effect. Technically speaking, the pearlescent effect can be achieved by all currently used printing methods such as screen printing, gravure printing, offset printing, and flexographic printing. However, the scope of application of various printing methods and the market share they occupy are uneven, and various printing methods are showing signs of shifting in the reproduction of pearlescent effects.

Pearlescent Screen Printing Pearlescent pigments have a relatively large particle size, and screen printing has a very wide range of application to the ink particle size, so the use of screen printing to reproduce the pearlescent effect is very suitable. At the same time, screen printing can also produce many other special effects, and is deeply favored by packaging users. However, from the point of ink drying speed, the work efficiency of Zhuguang Gangyin is relatively low and it is not suitable for large-volume printing. If UV inks are used instead of ordinary inks, although the curing speed can be increased, the high reflectivity of the printing surface has a great negative effect on the expression of certain pearlescent pigment textures. Therefore, attention should be paid when selecting pearlescent pigments.

Pearlescent gravure In the field of packaging and printing, gravure printing can be used to print solid, ink-colored spot colors, and pearl prints with special effects can't be ignored. Compared with other printing methods, pearlescent gravure has obtained the most extensive application in view of its technical maturity. However, the high cost of gravure platemaking limits its application in low-volume products. How to effectively reduce production costs is a key issue to be resolved in Pearlescent gravure.

Pearlescent Offset Offset printing has the advantages of convenient plate making and low cost. Many packaging and printing companies like to use offset printing for proofing when trying out new packaging products, especially pearlescent products. However, the number of users who actually use offset printing for pearlescent printing is relatively small. The reason is that the offset ink layer is thin and the ink path length is not suitable for the transfer of pearlescent pigments with relatively large particle sizes and brittleness, and there is a certain difficulty in the dispersion of pigments. These problems often plague packaging and printing manufacturers, so that pearlescent offset printing can not achieve mass production. Therefore, further reductions in the particle size of the pearlescent pigments and enhancement of the anti-scuffing properties of the pearlescent pigments are product development directions for pearlescent pigment suppliers.

Pearlescent flexo printing In the Pearlescent printing field, it can be said that gravure printing and screen printing are not much room for development due to technological maturity. In recent years, flexographic printing technology has made great progress, and it is playing an increasingly important role in pearlescent printing. For example, pearlescent inks can be printed on different flexographic printing units according to different color orders, or pearlescent pigments with different particle sizes can reproduce rich results. At present, the cost of supporting materials for flexographic printing such as printing plates and anilox rolls is high, which is a major factor that hinders the development of pearlescent flexographic printing. In addition, the uneven quality of ink and the limited level of employee operations may also result in unsatisfactory quality of pearlescent flexographic prints.

At the Drupa 2004 exhibition, some offset press manufacturers introduced a multi-color offset in-line glazing unit. The glazing unit uses a flexographic printing method to transmit ink through a laser ceramic anilox roller, which greatly optimizes the reliable transmission of pearlescent pigment particles. The connection between sex and the offset printing process fully improves the flexibility of the printed decoration. In addition, the use of sheet-fed gravure combined with offset printing or reprinting on pearlescent ink layers has also been used very well. In the field of pearlescent printing, the application of new technologies and new equipment is very important. The appearance of glazing units adopting anilox roller transfer ink enables special gloss effects to be easily matched with offset printing products.

Pearlescent ink printing will be further developed in the field of high-grade packaging printing, such as cigarette packets, high-end cosmetics, high-grade wine labels and other fields. But can not do without the efforts of pearl ink suppliers and equipment suppliers.
(1) Further reduce the particle size of pearlescent pigments and reduce the difficulty of pearlescent pigment transfer.
(2) To enhance the anti-abrasiveness of pearlescent pigments.
(3) Effectively solve the odor problem caused by pearl ink.
(4) Improve the uniformity of pearlescent pigment distribution in the ink.
(5) Develop equipment that is more suitable for pearlescent printing, especially offset printing equipment.



Source: hc360 Huicong Print Channel