Why use Soft Touch Haptic Coatings?
Why Do We Like Soft Things? Soft haptic coatings attract. We all know soft things like a baby’s skin, snow, feathers, or a kitten’s fur. Humans are naturally attracted to soft haptic things because they feel nice to touch. That’s why we like soft surfaces, which are called “soft-touch.” How We Feel Softness? The science […]
Chamber Doctor Blades: Precision Offset Coating
Chambered Doctor Blade Coaters are the Key to Precision Offset Coatings Flexo printing has long utilized doctor blade metering systems to precisely control the amount of ink delivered to an anilox roll. This results in the anilox roll delivering a predictable and repeatable quantity of ink to a plate and a substrate. Because of these […]
Test for Surface Energy before Printing on Films
When we step into a printing pressroom it’s common to observe a hum of productive activity. Presses are running, printing is taking place, substrate is moving, and pressmen are professionally doing their job. But problems can occasionally appear, seemingly out of nowhere, to surprise. One of these can involve surface energy. What is the most […]
Poly Replacements for Poly Coated Paperboards in Packaging Strategies
In an era where sustainability is a critical corporate imperative, businesses across industries are increasingly turning to poly replacements in their packaging strategies. This shift is driven by a confluence of factors including the urgent need to reduce plastic waste, stringent government regulations, evolving consumer preferences for eco-friendly products, and advances in alternative materials technology. […]
Top Recommendations for Work & Turn Aqueous Coatings
Work and Turn Offset Printing Work & Turn, (W&T) as we know it, is a process familiar to the sheet-fed printer where the second side of a sheet is printed after the first side. This is accomplished normally by turning the sheet over from left to right using the same edge of the paper or […]
Shipping, Storing, and Handling Aqueous Coatings in Cold Environments
A Guide to Shipping, Storing, and Handling Aqueous Coatings in Cold Environments Aqueous coatings, integral to the graphic arts industry, boast versatility in their thermoplastic or thermosetting formulations, whether in solution or emulsion polymer blends. Predominantly water-based, these coatings contain approximately 60% water along with various property-enhancing components. Storing and handling such aqueous coatings in […]
Notable differences between Aqueous Coatings and UV Coatings
Aqueous print coatings and UV (Ultraviolet) print coatings are types of coatings applied to printed materials to enhance their appearance, durability, and other functional properties. First and foremost both Aqueous (water-based) and UV coatings have achieved widespread use in the Graphic Arts Industry as competing top coats. Both offer aesthetic enhancement and protection, adding value […]
Mystery of Drying Aqueous Coatings
It’s well known and understood that washed clothing dries when the wash water is evaporated. Similarly, paint dries when the diluent solvent is evaporated, leaving a film of dry paint solids. Aqueous coatings dry as volatile components (mainly water), about 60% of the typical formula composition, evaporate or are absorbed by a porous substrate. Coalescence […]
Improving Printing Quality with Clean Substrates
Achieving the best printing results? Start with clean substrates!
Aqueous and UV Coatings Tricks to Cleanup Process
Aqueous and UV / EB Coatings have distinct cleanup methods that can make the processes run better. This article will address specific tricks to cleanup before, during, and after press runs of aqueous, UV, and EB Coatings. Safety First and Second We will tackle the important steps in the cleanup of coatings for both Aqueous […]