Reasons for color fading of BOPP printed with water-based ink
Date: Jul 22 2024 From: Star Color
Water based ink, as an environmentally friendly printing material, has been widely used in the field of plastic packaging, especially in the printing of BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) films. However, in practical applications, it is common for people to experience color fading when printing BOPP film with water-based ink. After our investigation and analysis, the following reasons may be possible:
Ink reason: Our Starcolor ink has always been known for its high adhesion, but our customers have reported color fading when printed on BOPP, which left us puzzled. Later, after investigation, we found out that the customer added too much water when using it, resulting in insufficient ink concentration and color fading during printing.
Printing process issues: Improper control of temperature and humidity in the printing environment, uneven printing pressure, and inappropriate drying methods can all affect the adhesion and drying effect of ink, leading to color fading.
Characteristics of substrate (BOPP film): Insufficient surface tension, defects or impurities in BOPP film can also affect the adhesion of ink and the quality of printed products.
Preventive measures for color fading of BOPP film printed with water-based ink
To effectively prevent color fading when printing BOPP film with water-based ink, the following measures can be taken:
1. Ink selection and optimization
Choose high-quality water-based ink: Choose water-based ink from reliable suppliers with guaranteed quality. For example, our customers at Starcolor often have color fading issues when printing by diluting according to requirements without adding too much water.
2. Printing process control
Optimize printing environment: Control the temperature and humidity in the printing workshop within an appropriate range to ensure that the ink can dry and adhere to the BOPP film normally.
Adjust printing parameters: Based on the ink characteristics and BOPP film material, adjust printing pressure, speed, drying temperature and other parameters to ensure that the ink is evenly and stably transferred to the film and achieve good drying effect.
Regular maintenance of printing equipment: Keep the equipment clean, maintained, and inspected to ensure that it is in good condition and avoid printing quality issues caused by equipment failure or wear.
3. Substrate (BOPP film) treatment
Improving the surface tension of BOPP film: Surface treatment (such as corona treatment) is applied to BOPP film before printing to increase its surface tension and enhance the adhesion between ink and film.
Choose high-quality film: Use BOPP film with stable quality and smooth surface as the substrate, and avoid using films with defects or impurities.
4. Subsequent protection
Coating protective varnish: Apply a layer of protective varnish that is compatible with ink on the surface of printed materials to improve the ink's light resistance, water resistance, and wear resistance, and extend the service life of printed materials.
Reasonable storage and transportation: Avoid proonged exposure of printed materials to direct sunlight or high temperature and humidity environments, adopt appropriate packaging and protective measures to reduce the impact of friction and collision on printed materials during transportation.
The color fading problem of water-based ink when printing BOPP film is a complex issue that involves multiple aspects such as ink, printing process, substrate, and subsequent protection. By making efforts in selecting high-quality water-based inks, optimizing printing processes, handling substrates, and taking subsequent protective measures, it is possible to effectively prevent color fading issues when printing BOPP films with water-based inks.
Did you also experience color fading when printing BOPP film? Welcome to consult our StarColor to help you solve the problem of color fading
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