Glitter, pearlescent, fluorescent, thermochromic—even the names of specialty inks raise the specter of something exciting.

By Tom Polischuk

Another metallic ink option is provided by Sun Chemical through a licensing agreement with UK-based MetalFX® Technology Ltd. Lorenz says that the use of the MetalFX® system can be a cost-effective solution to provide metallic effects on packaging.

According to MetalFX literature, the system is based on the transparency of CMYK inks. When CMYK inks are printed on top of the specially modified MFX® silver ink, it will create a virtually unlimited range of metallic colors. The silver base ink is formulated with increased trapping qualities to allow the CMYK inks to adhere to its surface. According to the company, when the silver base is printed first, followed by standard CMYK inks over top, a CMYK job can be run at the same time as up to 615 metallic colors on the same substrate.