Label printing ink procurement needs to consider the following nine factors:
When selecting label printing inks, it is necessary to consider factors such as the type of printing materials, printing methods and printing conditions, special requirements of customers, post-press processing technology, label use and use conditions, and cost.
1. When selecting label printing inks, customers' requirements must be fully considered. Sometimes customers may require the label to have some special effects, such as ice effect, frosted effect, anti-counterfeiting effect, etc. At this time, it may be necessary to consider how to meet the special requirements of customers and products from the perspective of label printing ink.
2. Does the label have to go through some special processing processes with the product it is attached to? What are the special requirements? This also has a certain influence on the selection of labels. For example, in the processing process of some products, the labels attached to them may have to withstand the test of high temperature or be exposed to certain chemical reagents, which requires that the label printing ink must have excellent quality. High temperature resistance, chemical resistance, etc., otherwise it will cause deformation or damage of the label.
3. The use and environment of the label is also a factor that cannot be ignored when selecting label printing inks. For example, the labels used on daily chemical cleaning products usually require their printing inks to have good acid and alkali resistance and grease resistance. Another example: labels used outdoors must withstand the test of wind, sun and rain. Therefore, when selecting label printing inks, attention must be paid to the performance of the inks in light resistance, water resistance, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance.
4. Cost factors. The goal of an enterprise is to pursue the maximization of profits, which inevitably involves the issue of cost. Generally speaking, the price of UV label printing ink is the highest, followed by water-based label printing ink, and solvent-based label printing ink is the lowest price. Of course, we must also consider the costs and costs of transportation and storage. The performance indexes of label printing ink mainly include hue, fineness, saturation, gloss, adhesion, viscosity, dryness and so on. These properties have a very important impact on the printing process and printing quality.
5. The type and performance of the printing material is one of the most important factors that determine the label printing ink. Different printing materials require different inks. For example: paper labels can be printed with water-based inks, while film labels are usually printed with solvent-based inks. In addition, it is worth noting that even for the same type of printing materials, if the variety, grade or surface properties are different, different inks may be used.
6. Printing methods and printing conditions are also one of the important factors that affect the selection of label printing inks. Inks of different printing methods are generally not replaceable or mixed, and the printing speed, type and performance of printing equipment also have a certain influence on the choice of label printing inks.
7. Stable ink viscosity is one of the prerequisites to ensure the consistency of printing quality. Too high or too low ink viscosity is not conducive to printing. Therefore, the control of ink viscosity is very important. Generally speaking, during the printing process, as the moisture and solvent in the ink continue to volatilize, the viscosity of the ink will gradually increase. Therefore, the viscosity of the ink should be measured frequently, and the viscosity changes should be recorded and adjusted in time.
8. The dryness of the ink also has a great influence on label printing. If it is dried too fast, it will easily cause the pattern to lighten or even dry the plate; too slow drying will easily cause the ink to stick or the printed matter to stick. In general, the drying speed of the ink should be compatible with the printing speed, the drying capacity of the printing equipment, and the area of ​​the printed pattern.
9. For water-based label printing inks, the control of pH is quite important, generally between 8-9. The change of the pH value of the water-based ink will also cause the change of the viscosity. Therefore, every time during the printing process, an appropriate amount of pH stabilizer should be added to the ink.
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