Ink makes use of pigments and dyes, even though the use of dyes is limited to some kinds of writing, security, and ink jet ink. Most printing inks use pigments for their color efficacy. Pigments can be natural (plant or animal origin) or synthetic, and belong to both organic and inorganic classes. Pigments are one of the most important ingredients in ink. Familiar definitions consider inks as dispersions of pigments in vehicles. The oldest inks were black in color, and used some form of carbon as the pigment.
The raw materials for ink production are pigments, binders, solvents and additives.
Pigments- colour the ink and make it opaque
Resins- bind the ink together into a film and bind it to the surface
Solvents- make the ink flow so that it can be transferred to the printing surface
Additives- alter the physical properties of the ink to suit different situations
Flexo inks are inks transferred by the process of flexography, primarily used in the printing of packing materials (cardboard boxes, corrugated cardboard, paper bags and plastic bags, food packaging, newspapers, catalogues, etc.). The inks and method of printing continues to grow in popularity due to its low cost and environmentally friendly nature. The most important part of the printing process is the application of the ink. Pigment for Flexo ink in USA
Like flexography, gravure printing is often used for high-volume printing of packaging, wallpaper and gift wrap. Although less common, gravure printing may also be used for printing magazines, greeting cards, and high-volume advertising pieces.
In ink manufacturing, pigments are fine, insoluble, organic or inorganic particles of colorant that are suspended in the vehicle (which carries the pigment in the ink-transfer process and helps the pigment adhere to the substrate) and provide not only the color of ink, but also such specific properties as transparency, opacity, specific gravity, and resistance to heat, chemicals, water, or oils. Pigments, therefore, help determine the suitability of the ink to a particular printing process or end use.
Pigments are considered to be the chief constituent of ink and contribute of its cost. A pigment is essentially any particulate solid - coloured, black, white or fluorescent - that alters the appearance of an object by the selective absorption and/or scattering of light. It occurs as a colloidal suspension in ink and retains a crystal or particulate structure throughout the colouring or printing process. Colour Index System number is generally used to identify the organic pigments in modern inks. It reflects the colour shade or hue, and structural and chronological details (order of synthesis) of the pigment.
Pigments colour the ink and provide gloss, abrasiveness and resistance to light, heat, solvents, etc. Special pigments such as extenders and opacifiers are also used. Extenders are transparent pigments that make the colour’s of other pigments appear less intense, and opacifiers are white pigments, which make the paint opaque so that the surface below the paint cannot be seen.
Praharit Pigments is one of the leading manufacturer of pigments used for producing flexo and gravure ink. Praharit pigments offer the flexo and gravure inks manufacturer choices in chemistries, color and transparency. This exciting range of blue and unique chlorinated green support expansion of color space and properties.
