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Analysis of Issues & Solutions in Water-based Ink Printing

Date: Feb 13 2025  From: Star Color   

Water-based inks are increasingly favored by enterprises due to their environmental friendliness and low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions. However, in practical water-based ink printing processes, issues inevitably arise, especially for printing factories that have recently transitioned from oil-based inks to water-based inks. If these issues are not promptly addressed, they will significantly affect printing quality and production efficiency.

1. Five Major Common Issues in Water-based Ink Printing

1. Slow Drying Speed: Slow drying speed is a prominent issue in water-based ink printing. Its typical manifestation is the stacking and adhesion of printed products, which not only damages their appearance but also affects subsequent processing and use. Additionally, slow drying speed significantly reduces production efficiency, prolongs the production cycle, and increases production costs.

2. Poor Adhesion: Poor adhesion often occurs when printing on plastic or metal surfaces. Specific manifestations include easy ink detachment and color fading after scratching. This greatly reduces the aesthetic appeal and durability of printed products, unable to meet customer demands.

3. Uneven Color: Uneven color can cause phenomena such as color spots, stripes, or gradient faults in printed products. This not only affects the visual effect of printed products but may also lead to products not meeting quality standards, resulting in waste.

4. Blurred Printing Dots: Blurred printing dots refer to unclear edges of small text or patterns, affecting the clarity and readability of printed products. This issue is particularly severe in printing products with high detail requirements, such as labels and packaging.

5. Ink Foaming: Ink foaming manifests as bubbles and holes on the printed surface, disrupting the smoothness of the printed product and affecting printing quality. Additionally, the presence of bubbles may lead to uneven ink transfer, further impacting the printing effect.
   

2. Cause Analysis and Solutions to Issues

1. Slow Drying Speed
   • Cause: High environmental humidity (above 70%) is a significant factor causing slow drying speed. In high-humidity environments, water evaporation is difficult, thereby prolonging the drying time of ink. Additionally, insufficient drying temperature and excessive water content or improper curing agent ratio in the ink formula can also contribute to slow drying.
   • Solution: To address slow drying speed, adjust the drying equipment temperature to 50-70°C to increase the speed of water evaporation. Adding fast-drying additives can effectively shorten the drying time by 30%. Simultaneously, control the workshop humidity within the range of 40-60% to create favorable conditions for ink drying.
2. Poor Adhesion
   • Cause: Impurities such as oil and dust on the substrate surface that have not been cleaned can affect the adhesion between ink and substrate. Additionally, poor compatibility between ink and material can also lead to insufficient adhesion.
   • Solution: Before printing, clean the material surface with alcohol to remove impurities and improve surface cleanliness. For some materials that are difficult to adhere to, perform corona treatment to enhance surface tension and improve ink adhesion. Simultaneously, select ink suitable for the material to ensure good compatibility between ink and substrate.
3. Uneven Color
   • Cause: Excessive ink viscosity can result in poor fluidity, making it difficult for the ink to evenly distribute on the substrate during the printing process, leading to uneven color. Additionally, uneven or worn-out printing roller pressure can also affect ink transfer, causing color inconsistency.
   • Solution: Use a viscometer to adjust the ink to 15-25 seconds (Zahn Cup #4), add thinner to reduce ink viscosity and improve its fluidity. Regularly check roller pressure and replace aged anilox rollers to ensure even ink transfer onto the substrate.
4. Blurred Printing Dots
   • Cause: Coarse ink particles or uneven settlement and mixing can prevent the ink from accurately transferring to the substrate during the printing process, causing blurred printing dots. Additionally, excessive printing speed can result in incomplete ink transfer, also leading to blurred dots.
   • Solution: Thoroughly stir the ink before printing to ensure even dispersion of ink particles and avoid settlement. Reduce the printing speed to 30-50 meters per minute and optimize the scraper angle (55-65°) to ensure complete ink transfer onto the substrate, improving the clarity of printing dots.
5. Ink Foaming
   • Cause: Air mixed into the ink can form bubbles. Additionally, ineffective or insufficiently added defoamers can fail to effectively eliminate bubbles, leading to ink foaming.
   • Solution: Add water-based defoamers (0.1-0.3% by weight) to effectively eliminate bubbles in the ink. Switch to low-shear circulation pumps to avoid vigorous stirring and reduce the opportunity for air to mix into the ink.

The issues encountered in water-based ink printing require us to carefully analyze the causes and adopt corresponding solutions. By reasonably adjusting the printing process and using suitable additives, we can effectively address these issues, improve the quality and efficiency of water-based ink printing, and promote sustainable development in the printing industry.

Among numerous water-based ink products, Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink stands out with its excellent performance and is worth choosing by printing enterprises. During the research and development (R&D) and production processes of Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink, potential issues in the printing process are fully considered, and advanced technology and strict quality control are employed to effectively address these issues.

Regarding the issue of slow drying speed, Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink adopts a special formula design that allows for rapid drying under reasonable environmental conditions, significantly improving production efficiency. Additionally, it exhibits good adhesion to various substrates, ensuring that the ink firmly adheres to surfaces such as paper, plastic, or metal, and is not easily detached.

In terms of color uniformity, Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink has precise viscosity control and good fluidity, enabling even distribution during the printing process and presenting bright and consistent colors. Its fine ink particles ensure clear printing dots after thorough mixing, enabling clear presentation of even small text and patterns.

Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink also excels in anti-foaming performance. The addition amount of defoamers is reasonable and effective, and the production process is strictly controlled to reduce the possibility of air mixing, effectively avoiding the issue of ink foaming.

With its outstanding performance in addressing common issues in water-based ink printing, as well as its environmental friendliness and high quality, Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink has become an ideal choice for many printing enterprises. Choosing Zhongzhixing Water-based Ink can not only improve printing quality and production efficiency but also bring better economic and social benefits to enterprises.

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