by Dianna Brodine, managing editor, Plastics Decorating Consumer demands and technology advances in both equipment and substrate materials add challenges for inks used in industrial plastic decoration. Ink developers are in a constant scramble to meet end-user needs for scratch resistance, weatherability, color fastness and more. Add in advanced decorating equipment with … [Read more...] about Diving into Inks: Digital, Analog and UV-Curable
Inks
Compatible Inks for Plastic Substrates
Reprinted with permission from SGIA When decorating or printing a plastic substrate, it is of utmost importance to know the exact type of plastic in order to plan and prepare for potential roadblocks. There are specific formulations of inks for the variety of plastics in the marketplace. This article will explore how to identify different types of plastics and how this can … [Read more...] about Compatible Inks for Plastic Substrates
Seasonal Tips for Pad Printing Inks
Diversified Printing Techniques After what seemed like a long winter and a brief glimpse of spring, the warm summer weather seems to be making its first appearance of 2014. For many people, this means trips to the beach, days spent by the pool and maybe even a mojito or two. For those of us in the printing industry, however, hot temperatures and high humidity mean paying extra … [Read more...] about Seasonal Tips for Pad Printing Inks
Q&A: Printing Inks for Industrial Applications
by Marabu North America Integrating screen, pad and digital printing into complex production processes requires expertise in made-to-measure solutions. From functional and decorative liquid coatings to UV-curable, solvent- and water-based inks, the respective benefits of screen, pad and digital printing go beyond conventional graphic applications. Question: What is … [Read more...] about Q&A: Printing Inks for Industrial Applications
What are the Differences in Drying and Curing Pad Printing Inks?
by John Kaverman, Pad Print Pros LLC When you read the technical data for a pad printing ink, you'll notice that the recommended drying and curing parameters generally are called out separately. This is because drying and curing are two distinctly different things. Drying simply is evaporating the solvents from the printed ink film. Curing is the chemical reaction that … [Read more...] about What are the Differences in Drying and Curing Pad Printing Inks?