The wide range of inks and substrates used in package printing makes ink/substrate compatability more of a challenge.

By Jean-Marie Hershey

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of ink-substrate interactions: desirable and undesirable. Desirable ink-substrate interactions are defined by their outcome: satisfactory ink adhesion; appropriate scuff-, weather-, or moisture-resistance; light-fastness, color-fastness, printability, etc. Undesirable interactions fail on one or more counts. This is true for all forms of printing, but is especially so in package printing, given the vast array of substrates used in packaging.