What causes the issues in gravure printing? How to solve them?


Release Time:

Jul 30,2016

Gravure printing often experiences streaking, which is not necessarily a problem with the ink.

Common types of streaking can be divided into:

Streaking at shallow screen positions

Streaking caused by the ink knife's starting position on solid color blocks

Irregular streaking in blank areas of printing

 
 

The reasons for these three types of streaking are different. Below, we will analyze the causes of streaking and corresponding solutions for these three different situations.

1. Streaking at shallow screen positions
1. Reasonable ink selection: Choose inks with smaller particle sizes to prevent streaking caused by coarse pigment particles. Typically, the fineness of the ink should be 15μm. When mixing inks, consider using slow-drying solvents and avoid adding excessive auxiliary solvents like ethyl acetate to prevent changes in ink properties that could hinder normal printing.

 2. Reasonable plate making: When making plates, it is essential to consider the printing direction and try to avoid printing from light to dark. Black and magenta plates are most prone to shallow screen streaking, especially the black plate. Therefore, large areas of black shallow screens should ideally be designated as special gray plates to reduce printing difficulty and waste rates.

3. Correct use of the squeegee: Choose a squeegee with appropriate hardness based on the situation. If the hardness is too low, the ink will not be cleaned properly; if too high, it will accelerate plate wear and create knife marks, affecting print quality. Additionally, adjust the angle of the squeegee to be smaller than normal during printing, and shorten the distance between the squeegee and the contact point with the plate.

2. Streaking of solid color blocks
1. Reasonable ink selection: Choose inks with smaller particle sizes and consider adding slow-drying solvents.

2. Promote ink circulation: Add new ink to the ink trough in a timely manner to promote ink circulation.
3. Irregular streaking in blank areas of printing
1. Irregular streaking in blank areas appears sporadically and varies in length, usually being relatively coarse. This is likely due to impurities on the squeegee, so it is necessary to clean the squeegee promptly.

 

      After reviewing the analysis of streaking in gravure printing above, do you still remember the impact of factors related to gravure plate making that I shared in previous issues?EveryonesharedIf both the pre-press plate making and post-press printing can be well controlled, it will greatly reduce the risk of streaking, save costs, and improve work efficiency and product quality.

Related articles on the impact of gravure plate making on streakingClick the blue title to read the full article):

《The Impact of Printing Plate Roller Grinding Roughness and Texture Control on Streaking》

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