Someone asked online: “Why does the ink layer not appear bright enough when silver ink is overprinted with other colors on black paper?” Here are my thoughts and insights on this issue for reference.
The so-called “black paper” is a type of specialty paper, and its surface gloss is generally not very high. Therefore, when printing other ink colors on top of a silver base with offset printing, it’s best to choose a high-gloss ink and increase the printing pressure appropriately. In fact, the glossiness of offset ink refers to the ability of the printed ink layer to reflect light in a concentrated direction after it dries through oxidation and film formation. It is a measure of the brightness of the ink layer on the printing surface after drying.
According to the national standard terminology for inks in the People’s Republic of China, “high-gloss offset ink” refers to “offset ink with a high gloss finish.” Therefore, high-gloss offset inks have a higher level of gloss compared to ordinary offset inks, and the brightness of the ink layer is relatively higher, although the price is also slightly higher.
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Additionally, to maintain ink concentration, it is recommended not to add diluents or tack reducers to the ink, as they may thin the ink, increase fluidity, and reduce adhesion and gloss. If the ink is too thick and difficult to transfer and coat, you can dilute it with a small amount of gloss varnish. The ink diluted with gloss varnish will noticeably increase the brightness of the printed ink layer.
If the print area is large, you can use the “double overprinting” process, where the same color is printed twice to increase the thickness and gloss of the ink layer. If this still doesn’t achieve the desired effect, you can apply a light layer of white ink or diluent as a base on the black paper before printing the silver ink, making the silver ink more saturated. Overprinting other colors on top of this will significantly improve the brightness.
If the surface of the paper has poor gloss and the ink layer cannot be further thickened, you may consider using screen printing or letterpress printing processes. The ink layers produced by these techniques are significantly thicker than those from offset printing, and the printed ink layers have the distinct advantage of higher brightness.
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