What’s Your Game Plan?

Filtering out particles before they cause damage can also go a long way. “People either don’t filter because they’re afraid the filter would restrict the flow of ink,” Sharkey says, “[or, they use filters that] do far too little.” He explains that even though an ink company may grind pigment, resin, and other solid particles to as small as 10 microns, the particles rejoin to form large clusters that become lodged behind a doctor blade. “Many think they don’t need to filter because the solids are ground so small when the ink is made. Others settle on a relative small filter vessel containing a wire basket at 40 mesh,” says Sharkey. “They often mistake 40 mesh for 40 microns when 40 mesh is actually 400 microns. [While they filter out large particles], damage is caused by particles as small as 100 microns.” He says printers that filter inks at 50 microns in 1-gallon vessels have largely eliminated print defects and damage to their blades, anilox rolls, or cylinders.