Gold and Silver Ink Printed Corrugated Box Process

Corrugated paper packaging

For a long time, corrugated paperboards have often been used as outer packagings and transport packagings for goods. These packagings are usually of simple structural shapes and apparent printing; what is more, the proportion of corrugated paper packaging that is not currently printed on the market Even as high as 42.4% (Source Marketpower), so that the development potential of corrugated printing is huge. In recent years, corrugated paper has been increasingly used as inner packaging and fine packaging of goods. The surface of packaging products is generally printed with a large number of information and advertisements related to the goods, giving the corrugated paper packaging a higher value-added product. In order to get the ideal corrugated quality packaging, it is necessary to put forward higher requirements for the appearance design and the fineness of printing. The future development direction of corrugated printing mainly includes:

1. Multicolor

2. Large area printing;

3. The pattern design is more exquisite and more attractive;

4. Print layout information often changes;

5. The surface of the package also contains a large number of advertisements concerning the content of the goods and stimulating consumers’ desire to purchase.

Just a few years ago, people only believed that high-grade corrugated paper packaging could only be achieved through pre-printed flexo printing and counter-texturing processes. Today, post-printing processes can also achieve high-quality corrugated printing, but printing technology still needs to be mature. The quality of printing also needs to be improved.

Corrugated gold and silver ink ink system

With the introduction of advanced standards such as standardization of printing quality, optimization of work flow, and color management system in the field of flexographic printing, the printing speed and printing quality of corrugated board have been significantly improved. At present, the research and development work of the ink system aimed at reducing the amount of overprinting paper in the printing process is also in full swing. Sun Chemical/Hartmann Ink, headquartered in Frankfurt, researched and launched a gold and silver ink system specifically designed for corrugated flexo printing.

Some of the ink systems used in this system are suitable for both flexo preprinting and post-printing corrugating processes: water-soluble metallic inks that are suitable for both line drawing and halftone printing. People call such metal inks gold and silver inks. These gold and silver inks are suitable for surface-coated paper, glossy paper, and non-coated paper, and printed on paper with low surface smoothness.

There are also two types of varnish that are compatible with metallic inks: Gosi-Print-Medium C and Gosi-Print-Medium U. The former is specifically designed to adjust the color strength of metallic ink used in the printing process of corrugated paper, and is particularly suitable for coated paper and glossy paper. The latter is to adjust the color strength of the gold ink used in the direct printing and preprinting process of corrugated paper. It is applicable to all non-coated papers and papers with low smoothness, such as white or gray base paper, recycled paper, and Cloth paper and so on.

For the gold and silver inks in this ink system, their following characteristics should be the same:

1. The viscosity of the ink depends on the absorbency of the substrate and the amount of information on the printing plate.

2. The drying speed of the ink on the printing press depends on the printing speed and the inking system of the printing press, ie, whether the printing press uses a doctor blade system or an extrusion system using a speed difference.

3. The stability of the hue of the ink depends on the environment in which the ink is stored and the ambient temperature. It is recommended that the ink be stored in a cool, dry place. The ink should be stirred for a long period of time before printing.

4. The recommended viscosity of the ink is between 20 and 25 seconds. (The viscosity is measured using a 4mm DIN measuring cup. The temperature is measured at 20°C.)

Corrugated flexo printing gold, silver ink

Gold and silver ink flexo printing is currently the more popular printing method, but in order to achieve high gloss, clean, clear and clear, and firmly attached to the surface of corrugated cardboard paper, but also do the following aspects:

1. Select gold and silver inks with suitable fineness, and transfer oil and silver oil with good printability.

2. Make sure that the ink roller and the entire inking system perform well and that the ink is even and the ink volume is appropriate.

3. In the printing process, "diligent ink fountains and diligent ink transfer" are required to make gold and silver inks have good printability.

4. The printing pressure should be adjusted evenly, and slightly larger than usual, to prevent the phenomenon of pattern printing.

(author / Wu Yanfen)

Source: Ke Yin Media