The mystery of metal ink (below)

On the contrary, when the tiny particles need only a small amount of thrust, the flow will be smooth and natural, and the viscosity will become very low. Larger metal particles can better increase the metallic effect of the ink, but in order to achieve low viscosity and print uniformity, smaller particles are often needed. So the choice between the two is often determined by looking at the actual situation.
Recently, there is also an ultra-thin, non-floating electroplated aluminum paste, which is a very unique metallic pigment - VMP (Vacuum Plating Metal Pigment). Produced through a special vacuum plating process, a very smooth and extremely thin flake structure can be obtained. Therefore, the copper and aluminum metal pigments produced by traditional methods have completely different metal effects. When used, a similar chrome-plated surface coating is obtained, which is very metallic.
At present, the use of VMP ultra-bright aluminum paste to use VMP-containing ink as an alternative to aluminum foil paperboard during packaging printing can save material costs. The myth of using metal inks Why do we sometimes use the best metal inks, but the effect of printing is still not ideal, not shiny enough? In addition to the quality of the metal inks used, reasonable production practices are also very important.
Designers often choose metal colors other than gold and silver (metallic colors). Printers will often use metal inks and four-color or other spot color inks to adjust the metal spot color inks, but the metal raw materials used to produce metal inks are relatively soft and thin metal sheets, and many printing operators It is customary to stir the ink with hard-edged metal tools that are sensitive to shear forces. Excessive shear forces can cause the metal pigment particles to deform or form many fine particles.
In order to avoid the influence of shear force on the metal pigment particles, when adjusting the metal spot color ink, it is necessary to use some relatively smooth tools, and at the same time to avoid high-speed stirring, otherwise the transferred ink will lose luster.
In addition, the ink media (such as resin and solvent) used in the manufacture of metallic spot inks by general ink companies are mostly different from the already made metallic inks, plus the metal spot colors as described above. The inks are different from those used to make ordinary inks. Therefore, if you are dealing with a large number of packages and printing, you can obtain better results by directly customizing metal spot inks to the ink factory.
The benefits of using metallic inks Since the materials used to make metallic inks are all active metallic materials, the chemical properties of metallic inks are also very unstable. They must also be tightly sealed during use and storage, avoid excessive moisture absorption and prolonged exposure. Direct light. In the case of lithography, the use of improper fountain solution can also affect its sparkling effect.
In addition, the density of metallic pigments is large, so compared with ordinary inks, metallic pigments are very easy to precipitate, and if not fully stirred before use, they are not checked for deposits on the bottom of the ink drum before printing on the machine. Hue and gloss vary greatly.
In the printing process, the metal ink will continuously volatilize with the solvent, and the viscosity will gradually increase. To ensure the stability and good fluidity and transferability of the metal ink, the ink viscosity should be measured regularly and the solvent should be properly added to keep the ink viscosity stable. status.
The price of metallic ink is much higher than that of ordinary inks, but the recovery of the residual metal ink used in the ink will also find that the gloss is significantly reduced. Therefore, in order to meet the smooth production conditions, the print process should be repeated as many times as possible. A small amount of metal ink is added to the principle of no waste.
In recent years, metallic shades have been used in publicity materials and packaging products. In addition, printing machines in Hong Kong and the Mainland have set up five-color and six-color printing machines in recent years. They are more convenient for printing metal tones, so there is no need to worry about time. In recent years, there have been many new materials and technologies in this area. Let's talk about it later! (Finish)