PRINTING INK TECHNOLOGY AND MANUFACTURE

sunny

Printing is widely used in our society to pass on information and to decorate objects.  This
has resulted in printing being used on many different surfaces ranging from aluminium
cans and plastic bottles through to paper.  Special inks have been developed for use in
these different situations.

Printing inks are made of four basic components:
•  Pigments - to colour the ink and make it opaque
•  Resins - which bind the ink together into a film and bind it to the printed surface
•  Solvents - to make the ink flow so that it can be transferred to the printing surface
•  Additives - which alter the physical properties of the ink to suit different situations

These are formulated into ink in a two step process.

Step 1 - Varnish manufacture
Varnish is the clear liquid that is the base of any ink.  Different varnishes are made for
different inks, but they are all made by mixing the resins, solvents and additives (often at
high temperatures) to form a homogeneous mixture.  The resins react together to some
extent to make larger molecules, making  the varnish more viscous the longer these
reactions are allowed to occur.

Step 2 - Pigment dispersal
The pigment is mixed into the varnish and then ground to break up clumps of pigment and
to spread the pigment evenly through the ink.

patrickyu

thanks a lot!:D

ink

普及油墨基础知识！不错

jurnson

good~!thanks

xianfeng

Thank  you