Making a Statement

PP&C survey respondents employ specialty inks most often with flexo (60 percent), followed closely by offset (50 percent)—but they may be making things hard on themselves.

According to Duncan, these two print processes are the most problematic for specialty inks' higher film thickness needs. "Lithography and flexography tend to give the thinnest ink films," he explains, "which usually restricts them in printing thermochromic, photochromic and phosphorescent inks." Screen printing's thick-film effectiveness is a better choice for these formulations. And though many metallics and fluorescents are printed litho and flexo, Duncan contends that gravure is a better choice for achieving adequately thick films and allowing the large-particle pigment sizes needed for metallics to reflect enough light.