Analysis of the deployment of flexo inks

Ink formulation refers to the process of blending one or more inks together and adding certain auxiliary materials to suit the printing needs. The preparation of ink mainly includes two aspects: on the one hand, it refers to the adjustment of ink printability, including ink viscosity, adhesiveness, fluidity, and drying, etc.; on the other hand, it refers to the color deployment of ink. This section mainly discusses Ink color deployment

The basic principle of an ink deployment

Any one color can be represented by three characteristics. Hue, brightness, and saturation. Hue is the most important characteristic of color matching, and it is also the most basic feature: Brightness means that the brighter a color is, the clearer it is, and the saturation indicates the apparent degree of a color. The success or failure of the color adjustment is mainly due to the brightness characteristics. The more types of color hue used in the color matching, the worse the brightness.

The color is clean and dirty, which means the black color appears in the color. The more black, the more dirty the color, and the cleaner the contrary. In most cases, adding a proper amount of white ink to the color will increase the vividness of the ink.

The basic operation of the deployment process of two flexo inks

Flexographic special tone matching should first pay attention to the following basic operations:

â– The ink must be dispensed under the standard light source D65. If it is daytime, it can be done in a sunny north window.

â– According to the standard color sample analysis provided by the customer, there are several hues, which are spot colors.

â– With spot color chromatography or work experience, determine the number of anilox roller lines to be selected for spot color sample printing, and which primary color inks the spot color sample consists of. What are the main colors and auxiliary colors?

â– According to the quality requirements of the printed product, select the main and auxiliary color inks that are suitable for deployment of the spot color ink.

â– Prepare a small amount of spot color ink for proofing, and note the proportion of each component.

â– Determine the color difference between the proofs and the standard with a color difference meter and make final adjustments.

â– According to the final adjusted proportion, deploy a certain amount of printing ink. After coating the varnish, ensure that the hue and lightness are consistent with the standard sample.

â– Do a good job of recording. Make a note of the final adjusted proportion and viscosity of this spot color ink for your next reference.

1 Flexo ink light color deployment work

Where a certain proportion is added to the primary color, the intermediate color, and the complex color ink, the light ink or the white ink blended ink is collectively referred to as the light color ink. The deployment process of the light color ink is as follows:

â– Analyze and judge the light spot colors in the standard sample to determine the number of anilox roller lines and the ratio of the primary color ink to the diluting agent (or white ink) during printing.

â– Gradually add a trace of primary color ink in the diluting agent.

â– If the primary color ink is more than one type, add a large amount first and then add a small amount.

â– Measure the ink sample viscosity at this time to see if it is suitable for printing. If not, adjust with ink additives.

â– Use a flexo-squeegee (consistent with the number of lines of the printing anilox roller) to scrape the outstanding sample and compare it with the mark; the color tone of the mark is not until the hue and lightness reach the requirements.

â– Do a good job of recording this spot color ink deployment.

2 Flexo dark ink deployment

With three kinds of primary color ink in different proportions, without any; In the light agent prepared by the ink called dark ink, the deployment process is as follows:

â– Analyze and judge the dark spot color in the standard sample to determine the number of anilox roller lines and the approximate proportion of each color ink when printing.

â– Observe the brightness of the complex color by referring to the gray scale.

â– In order to add auxiliary color ink to the main color ink, first add a large amount, and then add a small amount.

â– Measure the ink sample viscosity at this time to see if it is suitable for printing. If not, use ink additives to adjust.

â– Use a flexo-squeegee (consistent with the number of anilox rollers) to scrape the sample and compare it with the standard: color sample until the hue and lightness have been achieved.

â– Do a good job of recording this spot color ink deployment.

3 Flexo cable color sample deployment

When the color sample provided by the customer is a color sample that is overprinted with different color dots using three primary color inks, and at the same time, it is required to print out the effect in the field, it involves the deployment of the color sample of the network line.

The depth of the screen print color is regulated by the percentage of Internet sites per unit area. Therefore, the percentage of the dot combinations of the colors represented by the different color patches can be used for ink preparation. For example, a 50% magenta dot is printed in plain paper on white paper, then the other 50% is white, so we use 5 magenta inks and 5 white inks. % magenta dots are printed on paper with flat screens. For example, eggplant color M7, C5 is expressed as: magenta ink 7 + blue ink 5 + white ink [(10 - 7) + (10 - 5)), that is, supplies of red ink 7 + blue ink 5 + white ink 8 can be deployed.

4 flexographic special color ink deployment in matters needing attention

â– The properties of the binder, the compatibility of the pigment and the binder determine the stability of the ink, so the inks produced by different manufacturers have their own shelf life. Before adjusting the ink, first notice whether the ink has expired or not.

â– It is best to use a primary color ink that uses the primary inks produced by the same manufacturer.

â– The color of the primary color ink during the blending process should be as small as possible, otherwise it will reduce the brightness of the required ink, affect the saturation of the color, and make the ink dark and unclear.

â– During the blending and printing process, it should be ensured that the viscosity is appropriate and stable, because too much change in viscosity can cause ink shade changes.

â– Also pay attention to check the color change of the substrate during the printing process, such as the change of the whiteness of the paper will cause the change of the spot color ink.

In order to master the deployment of spot color inks in a relatively short period of time, in addition to strengthening practice, they should also be familiar with the properties of inks, hue and ink auxiliaries, and master the characteristics of ink color changes. According to evidence, careful deployment.

In short, there are many factors that affect the deployment of spot color inks, from the material itself, but also from observation conditions and observers. Therefore, the deployment of spot color ink is an art and a science. No matter which method is used, operators are required to master the basic color principles and work with a rigorous scientific attitude.