Preparation of ink hue before printing and precautions

The deployment of ink hue is an important job before printing, and it is also a very abstract job. Simple color materials, three primary colors, yellow, magenta, and blue can be assigned red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple and other dozens of colors. In the actual deployment process, the color obtained by the three primary color inks cannot be obtained. This is because the pigments and dyes selected by the ink manufacturers cannot achieve the saturation, color concentration, and brightness of the three primary colors of the international standard, and the three equal primary color ink phases. Plus can only be tea grey, not black. Therefore, black ink, white ink, diluting agent and other inks and auxiliaries are indispensable in the actual color adjustment process.

Dyeing process

1. Master the ink system, color, color saturation, viscosity, fineness and other indicators.
2. We will review the proofs and customer requirements, process requirements, hue requirements, and ink usage requirements. We must have a thorough understanding of the arrangement of the color sequence of each color group, the number of prints of the product, the amount of ink used, and the deployment of the main colors.
3. Diluent and ink resin solubility, temperature deviation and the ratio of diluent is related, such as high temperatures, the diluent should be slow-drying type. At the same time, the dissolving effect and volatilization speed also play a very important role in the printing quality of the product, so it is necessary to select the appropriate diluent according to the relevant conditions.
4. Prepare ink and thinner before printing.
5. In the short time of the boot printing, according to the collocation of colors, proper use of the original color ink, and a good grasp of the ratio, in accordance with the proofs for the preparation of each color group ink hue, so that the printing speed is stable, a little adjustment to achieve the proof effect . In normal printing, the batch control of the hue is the same, and it is more difficult for ink-transferring personnel. For example, the amount of thinner added will affect the color effect in different degrees. This requires the ink-transferring personnel to have a strong sense of responsibility.

Ink transfer notes

1. In the case where the hue meets the requirements, the less the kind of color of the ink used, the easier it is to configure and control. Can not be used between the color ink complex ink, according to the subtractive method, the more color the spot color ink used the lower the saturation, the black component will increase accordingly.

2, to confirm the main color of the print and the auxiliary color contained, the main color ink as the basic ink, other ink as the color ink, the main ink, color ink as the auxiliary, so that the deployment of spot color ink will be faster, more acurrate.

3. When deploying proofing and mock-up inks, try to use the same paper as the paper used for printing because the color of the ink will vary depending on factors such as the paper's absorbency. Only by maintaining a stable paper quality can you avoid color errors due to paper differences.

4. The use of ordinary white cardboard to make a sample or scratch, the thickness of the ink layer will directly affect the color of the ink, thin ink, the color is light, high brightness. In the field or network cable, wet or wet-press dry, the amount of sprayed powder is large or small, the flatness and whiteness of the paper surface, and the thickness of the ink layer will cause differences in the color.

5. To adjust the spot color ink, we must first adjust the saturated hue of the ink and make a thin sample. After confirming that the main color and the auxiliary tone are absent, use the diluting agent to adjust to the desired spot color.

6. Factors affecting spot color ink color include printing process, water volume, ink volume control, vehicle speed, and printing equipment, etc. Printing and its laws should be grasped to ensure product quality.

Mastering the deployment of spot color inks, controlling the amount of ink used, and making full use of the remaining ink will not only save materials, but also improve the quality and technical level of individuals. An excellent diverter plays an important role in the development of new inks, the innovation of color, and the reduction of ink cost.
For most garment screen printers, choosing white ink has become their habit. We usually have a prior idea of ​​the ink we like. Large garment printing plants can use any type of hot melt ink on their automated presses. Only manual printing presses in small printing plants and hand proofing printing presses in large printing plants need to choose apparel hot melt inks. In this type of printing press, the performance of the ink is the easiest to evaluate. Although you can now use any type of ink, the human factors in the screen printing process can amplify the characteristics of the ink.

White ink

White hot melt inks play the most important role in the day's work of manual press operators. In printed clothing designs, more than half of the designs require white ink. The biggest challenge for printers is choosing the best ink for printing needs. Almost every manufacturer of hot melt inks has hundreds of white ink formulations, and they sell a dozen or more inks at every moment. Even though some white hot melt inks are of special use, their composition is still vague.

You must have a general understanding of existing products. There are four types of white inks that can be used in manual printers to meet different needs. They include a basic cotton white, a white for a 50/50 cotton/polyethylene T-shirt, a nylon white, and a polyester white for 100% polyethylene fibers.

Cotton white:

White hot melt inks for cotton materials are the easiest to use. Cotton fiber limits ink performance less than other materials. The most attractive features of this material are: simple printability, good opacity, and good reflectivity. There are many versions of this type of hot melt ink on the market. The best method is to try as many as possible and find the one that works best for you. The performance of all these products should be similar.

Anti-absorption white:

Anti-absorption white hot melt inks pose great challenges for both manufacturers and end users. This is the most widely used white ink in the market, and the competition in the market is fierce. Manufacturers of hot melt inks will launch a new anti-absorbing white ink approximately every 12 to 18 months. These manufacturers have been trying to improve the formula of white products, hoping to gain more shares in the apparel silk screen market.

The challenge of using anti-absorbing hot melt inks comes from the performance requirements of these products. These requirements include superior printability, quick-drying, high gloss, good opacity, soft touch, durability, good smoothness, and post-flash. Each feature requires manufacturers to make different formulations, so you will find a wide variety of anti-absorbent white inks on the market. You have to try different types of inks from different manufacturers to find the one that suits you best. Most of the anti-absorption white inks have their own areas of expertise; we cannot concentrate all of the above-mentioned properties into one product.

From the printer operator's point of view, I give the following priority parameters:

1. Printability 2. Opacity 3. Absorption resistance 4. Good post-flash 5. Touch 6. Gloss 7. Good aging

The top three factors in this list are the issues I first emphasized in my book. And, if you want to know, "aging" refers to the ink's good printability over a long period of time, but the rate of viscosity growth is not very fast. Although this sounds trivial, you don't want to face a half-gallon (or one-half a barrel used by a large print shop). These products are too thick for printing. In this regard, some white inks perform better than others, so you have to try these different products yourself.

Nylon white:

Nylon white is another different color because they have special performance parameters. Nylon inks were first used in print shops that served the sports uniform market. The fibers here include nylon micronets and high-stretch fibers such as Lycra. The structure and composition of these materials may change as the manufacturer does not use them, so you must test your inks on these products and conduct a comprehensive study of these materials. The performance of these inks varies greatly depending on the manufacturer and the purpose of use. You need to pay attention to the characteristics of a good nylon hot melt ink has: opacity, printability and durability.

Polyester white:

Polyester white can pose the greatest challenge for all inks. This is especially true for people using manual presses. When printed on the most troublesome polyester fibers, polyester white can also exhibit maximum resistance to absorption. Not all of these inks are easy to print. The performance parameters of these inks depend on the compatibility of the fibers rather than the ease of printing. The printing performance of polyester white produced by different manufacturers is also very different, so you need to try different brands of products to make the final choice

When you want to use polyester white ink, the most critical thing is to listen to the opinions of other printers and find the most practical product. It is also important to contact the newly introduced inks on the market to extract their samples.

For manual press operators, the most important thing is to have a good product, which means that there is no need for special handling or major changes to the printing program. But this is where the problem arises. You must have a deep understanding of the variability of inks, fibers, and printing presses and have some experience. You must also conduct your own bleeding test to test whether this product is really resistant to absorption on the fibers you print.

Unfortunately, not all fibers can be used for screen printing. To print, consult the fiber manufacturer. I consulted the manufacturer about their tough fibers. They told me not to print on these fibers. This is one of the things your customers don't want to hear, but before doing this, it's best to let them know. If you encounter such fiber, it is best to give up - or help customers find alternatives - do not risk printing, regardless of fiber bleeding problems.

Please choose carefully

The white hot melt ink you use on hand-made equipment will have a certain influence on the company's productivity and profitability. Careful inspection of white inks from different manufacturers may seem like a daunting task, but the time you spend selecting inks will be compensated for in higher print quality and fewer printing problems.

Reprinted from: Invincible Packaging