Advantages, limitations and application areas of water-based ink
Date: Oct 31 2023 From: Star Color
Water-based ink, as an environmentally friendly printing material, is gradually being widely used in the printing industry.Using water as a solvent, it has the advantages of low VOCs content, non-toxic and tasteless, non-combustible and non-explosive, which brings a lot of convenience to the printing process and product applications.However, every product has its advantages and limitations, and water-based ink is no exception.This article will discuss in detail the advantages and limitations of water-based inks compared to other types of inks, and explain which applications they are most suitable for.
Advantages
1.Environmental protection property：The biggest advantage of water-based ink is its environmental protection.Using water as a solvent reduces the emission of VOCs and other harmful substances, reducing the impact on the environment and human health.In today's increasing attention to environmental protection, the market share of water-based ink is expected to continue to expand.
2.Pigment dispersibility：Water-based inks have excellent pigment dispersion and can provide more vivid and fuller color effects.This gives water-based inks a significant advantage in the appearance of printed matter.
3.Compatibility：Water-based inks can be well compatible with various paper, plastic, metal and other substrates, and have less wear on the printing press during the printing process and lower maintenance costs.
4.Drying property：The water-based ink can dry quickly after printing, which improves the printing efficiency.Compared to other types of inks, water-based inks dry faster, reducing drying time and energy consumption.
5.Operability：The operation performance of water-based ink is better, has good fluidity, and is easy to operate on the printing press.In addition, the viscosity of water-based ink is stable, and it is not easy to clog and Wire drawing phenomenon.
Limited
1.The degree of fixation：Although water-based ink has the advantage of rapid drying, its color fixation rate is relatively low.In some applications, such as textile printing, the color retention of water-based inks may limit their use.
2.Range of application：Due to the nature of pigments and solvents, water-based inks may not be suitable for some special applications.For example, for some occasions that require friction resistance and solvent erosion resistance, water-based inks may not meet the requirements.
3.Cost：Although the manufacturing cost of water-based inks is relatively low, due to its high sales price, water-based inks may not have a competitive advantage in some cost-sensitive applications.
4.Color representation：Although water-based inks can provide bright, full color effects, in some specific applications, such as high-precision image printing, its color performance may not be as good as some solvent-based inks or UV inks.
Application area
Given the above advantages and limitations, water-based inks are best suited for the following applications:
1.Paper printing：Paper is one of the most widely used areas of water-based ink.Due to its good compatibility with paper, fast drying speed, bright color and other advantages, water-based ink is widely used in paper printing such as books, magazines, and publicity materials.
2.Textile print:Textile printing is another important application area of water-based inks.Because the water-based ink has good permeability to the fabric, high color fixation rate, and meets the requirements of environmental protection, it has a great advantage in textile printing.
3.Package printing：In some packaging printing requirements for environmental protection, such as food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, etc., water-based ink is widely used because of its environmental protection and safety.In addition, due to the fast drying speed of water-based ink, it is also suitable for high-speed packaging and printing production lines.
4.Architectural decoration printing：Architectural decoration printing has higher requirements for patterns and colors, and needs to adapt to various materials and environmental conditions.Water-based ink has better pigment dispersion and color performance, so it has certain advantages in architectural decoration printing.
5.Electronic product printing：With the rapid development of the electronic product industry, the application of water-based ink in the field of electronic product printing has gradually increased.Because the water-based ink has good chemical resistance and friction resistance, it can meet the coating requirements of electronic products.
In summary, water-based inks have significant advantages in environmental protection, pigment dispersion, compatibility, dryness and operability.However, there are also limitations of low color fixation rate, relatively narrow scope of application and high cost.In the fields of paper printing, textile printing, packaging printing, architectural decoration printing and electronic product printing, water-based ink is widely used because of its unique performance and market demand.With the improvement of environmental protection requirements and the continuous progress of technology, the application prospect of water-based ink will be broader.
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