Basic Flowchart

To address consistency's cause, Kohl & Madden is refining systems to minimize on-press pH adjustments, viscosity, and printability. "If we can eliminate the addition of stabilizers and slow solvents press-side, we can improve long-term stability and maintain color consistency," Steele says.

Consistency came up again in an exploration of respondents' confidences and reservations about UV inks. Highest on the plus side was durability (17 percent), followed by color consistency and general color appearance (13 percent each), and handling (9 percent). The leading reservation mentioned was cost (26 percent), followed by safety/environmental issues (17 percent), and odor (8 percent).