Special ink and fountain solution selection

Non-standard base inks are often incompatible with certain types of fountain solutions. Low-VOC or vegetable oil based inks are dried by oxidation. This means that equipment settings using this ink can be slower and take longer to dry. Using an alcohol fountain solution can speed up drying, but avoid the use of non-volatile wetting agents such as glycols.

For petroleum-based inks, because oil is easily absorbed by the paper, the machine can run faster and the drying time is shorter. This type of ink is suitable for use as an fountain solution.

Metallic inks can use all fountain solutions containing 10% to 15% isopropanol, all of which are suitable. It is recommended to use a fountain solution with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5 to make the printing of metal ink cleaner and more lustrous. One ounce of dampening activator should be added per gallon.

All fountain solutions are suitable for opaque inks. A 15% water-resistant varnish is added to the opaque ink with any fountain solution to improve fluidity and transferability, and to prevent "spotting". To ensure the best results, keep the pH of the fountain solution between 4.5 and 5.0 during the printing process.

Fluorescent inks usually have no special fountain solution, but alcohol fountain solutions work well for metal plates. The fluorescent ink requires a large amount of ink for printing. In the fountain solution, 20% alcohol is always added to obtain a good density value. Such a mixture can allow a large amount of water to evaporate and the oil layer is heavy and heavy.

The balance of ink and temperature in the waterless printing process replaces the ink balance, so there is no need to add fountain solution.

Tip: Adding less than one ounce of normal pure ammonia per gallon fountain solution (to ensure that it does not contain detergent-like substances) will increase the pH of the buffer.

Source: Wanke Online