9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.
19 Sida 569
Effects on ink setting in flexographic printing:
Coating polarity and dot gain
Robert Olsson, Li Yang, Jan van Stam and Magnus Lestelius, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden
KEYWORDS: Flexography, Coating polarity, Ink setting,
Printing plate deformation, Dot enlargement
SUMMARY: Ink transfer and the subsequent ink setting are
processes that depend on the physical properties of the ink and
the substrate, and on the press settings. To gain a better under-
standing of the effects of these factors on printing performance,
four coating layers were prepared using calcium carbonates of
different particle sizes and latices of different polarities. The
coating layers were printed with a water-based flexographic ink
in a laboratory printing press under different printing pressures.
Measurements were made using a white light interference profi-
lometer, an optical densitometer, and an atomic absorption
spectrophotometer to characterize the size and shape of an indi-
vidual halftone dot, the print density of the halftone print, and
the amount of ink transferred, respectively. It was found that the
coating layer based on a latex of higher polarity gave a higher
print density even though there was no significant increase in
ink transfer. A non-linear relationship between physical dot
enlargement and printing pressure was observed, due to increa-
sing printing form deformation. The proposed mathematical
model taking into account elastic deformations reveals the rela-
tionship between dot enlargement on the printing form and the
printing pressure. The results of the measurements agree quali-
tatively with the theoretical predictions.
ADDRESSES OF THE AUTHORS: Robert Olsson
(robert.olsson@kau.se), Li Yang (li.yang@kau.se) and Magnus
Lestelius (magnus.lestelius@kau.se): Karlstad University,
Department of Chemical Engineering, SE-651 88 Karlstad,
Sweden. Jan van Stam (jan.van.stam@kau.se): Karlstad
University, Department of Physical Chemistry, SE-651 88
Karlstad, Sweden.
Corresponding author: Robert Olsson
Ink-paper interaction is a complex process depending on
the properties of ink and paper. Typical aspects of the
interaction are ink spreading and ink penetration
(Oittinen and Saarelma, 1998). Considerable research
into these phenomena and related issues has been under-
taken in recent years. Engström and Rigdahl reported
latex migration to the surface of the coating colour
during the drying process (Engström and Rigdahl, 1992).
The migration influences the surface properties of a coa-
ting which in turn affects the ink-paper interaction.
Rousu et al. (2000) found that a non-polar offset ink
penetrated deeper than a polar ink into the coating layer.
They also found that a mineral oil exhibited a higher
absorption rate with increasing pore size, whereas linseed
oil behaved in the opposite manner, at constant latex level
in the coating. It is suggested that the reason why linseed
oil shows a lower absorption rate with increasing pore
sizes is a decrease in surface energy of the linseed oil,
and thereby a stronger interaction with the latex. In con-
nection to Rousu´s observations, Van Gilder and Smith
(1998) concluded that a more polar latex in the coating
yielded a higher print gloss with a waterless offset prin-
ting technique. This was because interaction of the ink
with the high polar latex led to a longer levelling time for
the ink. On the other hand, Ridgway and Gane (2005)
found that the ink filtercake build-up is different for dif-
ferent pigmented inkjet inks. They speculate that there
may be a greater tendency of pigment aggregation for
some inks than for others which then may lead to diffe-
rent filter cake build-up. The filtercake build-up depends
also on an initial separation mechanism, i.e. liquid is
removed faster from the interface than it can be delivered
from the ink bulk. In another publication, Gane and
Ridgway (2000) used flexographic inks and found that
the filtercake build-up acted as a “pump” to speed up the
ink absorption rate.
In the case of water-based gravure inks, Trianta-
fillopoulos, et al. (1992) found that alkaline inks penetra-
ted the base sheet quicker than acidic inks, mainly becau-
se the smaller contact angle resulted in good wetting of
the surface. Etzler et al. (1995) reported that the fractio-
nal polarity (σ P/σT), where σ P is the surface free energy
related to Lewis acid-base interaction and σT the total sur-
face tension, differs considerably among papers of diffe-
rent grades. Papers with a large fractional polarity may
exhibit poor ink adhesion due to repulsive polar forces
between the paper and the ink. They also concluded that
macromolecular rearrangement in the paper surface plays
an important role in the wetting of paper by alkyd varnis-
hes. The macromolecular rearrangement is responsible
for a wetting delay observed with polar fluids, whereas
non-polar fluids wet the paper well.
In printing, wettability is an important factor because it
affects the ink spreading, as does the force applied in the
printing nip, since this leads to lateral spreading of the
ink on the substrate. The physical dot gain, defined as the
difference between the size of a printed dot and that on
the printing form (without pressure), is a direct consequ-
ence of the ink substrate interaction and the printing
press. Results from an offset printing study presented by
DePaoli (1981) indicate that the dot gain depends prima-
rily on the ink thickness, the physical and chemical cha-
racteristics of the ink and the paper. According to
DePaoli the length of the ink, which is its ability to be
drawn or stretched into a filament before snapping
(Finely, 1997), and paper absorption may be critical para-
meters affecting dot gain. Bohan et al. (2000) investiga-
ted the effects which printing pressure, viscosity and ink
film thickness had on dot gain. They found that a higher
printing pressure led to a greater dot gain, whereas a hig-
her ink viscosity leads to a smaller dot gain. A third conc-
lusion from their study was that a thicker ink film gene-
rated a larger dot gain, as a consequence of the fact that
more ink was transferred. On the other hand, Bould et al.
Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006 569
9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.19 Sida 570

(2004a) found that in flexographic printing presses ink

spreading had a large effect on the final dot size.
Printing plate deformation, as one of the causes of
physical dot gain, has been investigated by Bould et al.
(2004b), who conclude that there are basically two
mechanisms of plate deformation of flexographic
printing which leads to in dot gain. The first is a lateral
expansion of the dot surface under compression, which
depends on the material’s Poisson´s Ratio. The second
mechanism is a “barrelling” effect where a part of the dot
sides becomes in touch with the substrate. The Young´s
modulus of the material determines to what extent
“barrelling” occurs.
The objective of the present work has been to study the Fig 1. The spectral reflectance of the coating layers of different compositions.
factors that affect ink setting. The effects of coating pola-
rity and the printing pressure in flexographic printing had essentially the same reflectance factor spectra in the
have been especially emphasized. visible wavelength band.
Two latex films were prepared to characterize the sur-
face tension properties through contact angle measure-
Materials and Methods ments employing a FTA200 instrument from First Ten
Coating layer preparation Ångström, USA. Deionised water, ethyleneglycol
Different coating layers were used to study whether the (>99,5% from Merck, Germany) and diiodomethane
pore structure or the surface chemistry affects properties (≤98% from Fluka Chemie GmbH, Switzerland) were
such as print density. Coating layers were prepared on used for the characterization. Small drops of the fluids
non-porous polyester films to minimize any possible were placed on the latex film surface and the contact
influence of the base paper. The coating colours were angles were captured with a CCD camera (Sanyo VCB-
based on calcium carbonates of different particle sizes, 3512T). The contact angle measurements were repeated
latices of different polarities and a CMC thickener. The at least seven times for each latex film and testing fluid.
calcium carbonates slurries: Hydrocarb 90, denoted I, Components of the surface tension van Oss (1994) were
and Hydrocarb 60, denoted II, supplied by Omya Plüss- calculated from the contact angle data, the acid-base, γ AB,
Stauffer AG, Switzerland, also contained dispersant agent and the Lifshitz-van der Waals component, γLW , are listed
(<1%) and preservative (<200 ppm). The latices, DL950 in Table 2. The surface tension components of the fluids
(a styrene-butadiene latex with a Tg of 7ºC, denoted A) used for the calculation are found in Table 3, γ + and γ - are
and HPP88 (an acrylate latex with a Tg of 4ºC, denoted the electron acceptor and electron donor parameter
B) were supplied by Dow Europe S.A., Switzerland, and respectively, and γ l is the surface tension.
the thickener FinnFix 10 by Noviant Oy, Finland. The
pigment slurries were first mixed thoroughly and latex, Table 2. The surface tension components of the latices.
thickener and deionised water were then added to achieve
a final dry content of 57± 3%. The mixture was stirred Latex γ LW γ AB
mJ m -2 mJ m -2
until no visible floc was present. The pH was adjusted to
a final value of 8.5. Four coating layers of the four A DL950 41 2.0
possible combinations, Table 1, of different calcium B HPP88 35 0.5
carbonates and latices were prepared using a K Control
Coater K101, from R K Print-Coat Instruments Ltd, UK, Table 3. The surface tension components (in mJ m-2) of the fluids used for charac-
terisation of the latex films, data from van Oss (1994).
with bar number 8. The wet deposited coating layers were
100 µm thick, and they were dried in air of 23ºC. Liquid γl γ LW γ+ γ-
Mercury porosimetry and interference profilometry were
Water 72.8 21.8 25.5 25.5
used to characterize the porosities and the surface
Ethylene glycol 48 29 1.92 47
roughnesses of the coating layers. The reflectance of the Methyleneiodide 50.8 50.8 0 0
coating layers, Fig 1, was measured with a spectro-
photometer (CM-3630 from Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka,
Japan). The measurements showed that the coating layers Printing
For the laboratory printing, an IGT-F1 from IGT Testing
Table 1, The coating layer compositions (pph = parts per hundred parts of dry pig-
ments). System, Amsterdam, NL, was used together with a cyan
ink from ANI Printing Inks AB, Sweden. The printing
Coating layer Calcium carbonate – 100 pph Latex – 12 pph CMC – 0.5 pph plate had a thickness of 1.7 mm and a hardness of 70º
I-A HC90 DL950 FinnFix 10 Shore A. The printing plate was designed with dot diame-
I-B HC90 HPP88 FinnFix 10 ters of 0.12, 0.25, 0.49, 0.73 and 1.01 mm for the 40%
II-A HC60 DL950 FinnFix 10 tone value and 0.12, 0.25, 0.51, 0.74 and 1.01 mm for the
II-B HC60 HPP88 FinnFix 10 60% tone value. The four coating layers were printed

570 Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006
9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.19 Sida 571

with printing forces of 25, 60, 125, 225 and 375 N. An

anilox roll with an ink volume of 2.7 g/m2 and a screen
ruling of 180 lines/cm was used, with forces of 35, 75,
150, 250 and 400 N between the anilox and the printing
cylinder. The printing speed was 0.6 m/s in all cases. To
be able to calculate the printing pressure, the contact area
in the nip had to be measured. This was determined by
pressing the printing plate (with ink applied to it) against
the substrate, with the relevant forces applied, with the
IGT-F1. The result was a “footprint” of the printing form
in contact, the area of which could easily be measured
manually. For forces of 25, 60, 125, 225 and 375 N, the
nip length obtained was 8, 12, 16, 18 and 19 mm
respectively. The width of the printing nip was 35 mm.
Fig 2. The cumulative pore volume as a function of pore radius of the different
coating layers.
Print characterization
To characterize the printed dots and the full-tone ink film Table 5. The gloss values of the unprinted coating layers and for coating layers printed
roughness, a profilometer based on white light interfero- (under different applied printing forces). ∆gloss shows the gloss variation between the
metry (WYKO NT3300 from Vecco Instruments Inc., printed and the unprinted coating layer.
AZ, USA) was used. The scanning depth was 90 µm and Gloss 75º 25 N 60 N 125 N 225 N 375 N Substrate
a magnification of 5 was used. The scanning area was
1.24 x 0.94 mm except in the case of the halftone dots I-A 76.0±1.1 77.4±0.6 76.4±1.2 77.3±0.1 77.6±0.8 32.4±0.7
I-B 62.9±1.2 65.9±0.5 65.3±1.2 63.3±1.3 60.9±0.2 25.4±0.1
with a diameter of 1.01 mm, when the scanning area was
II-A 33.1±0.6 33.2±0.3 34.0±1.7 34.4±0.3 33.7±0.9 7.9±0.2
1.2 x 1.24 mm. The print density was measured 20 times II-B 28.8±0.6 28.2±0.7 29.2±0.3 28.8±0.4 27.7±0.2 6.9±0.1
for every sample with a GretagMacbeth densitometer
(Gretag-Macbeth AG, Switzerland). A ZGM 1022 gloss- ∆Gloss

meter from Zehntner GmbH Testing Instruments,
Switzerland, was used to determine the gloss values at
75º of the printed and unprinted coating layers, the mea-
surements were repeated three times. These data were
used to calculate ∆Gloss (=Glossprinted-Glossunprinted).
To estimate the amount of ink transferred, two measu-
rements per sample were made using a Perkin Elmer
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer 4100 (Perkin
Elmer, Wellesley, MA, USA) with a slit width of 0.7 mm.
Prior to these measurements, the printed samples were
treated according to SCAN-CM 38:96 and burnt using a
mixture of acetylene and air as fuel. The flame was then
scanned with a light beam and the characteristic absorp-
tion spectrum of copper atoms at a wavelength of 324.8
nm was recorded. It is assumed that the intensity of the
absorption line is proportional to the amount of copper
atoms and thus to the ink amount. The measurements
were performed at Stora Enso Research Centre, Karlstad,
Sweden.
Results and Discussion
Fig 2 shows for the four coating layers the cumulative pore
volume as a function of pore radius, where it is evident that
the finer calcium carbonate particles generate smaller pores,
but that the pore size distribution is also affected by the latex
used. Table 4 shows that the coating layers with finer pores
also had smoother surfaces. Table 5 shows that the gloss of
the unprinted coating layers also follows the same trend.
Table 4. The roughness values, Ra, of the substrates characterized with interferen-
ce profilometry. The values are based on four measurements.
Substrate I-A I-B II-A II-B
Roughness, Ra [nm] 680 ± 11 800 ± 37 865 ± 6 909 ± 10
I-A 43.6±1.8 45.0±1.3 44.0±1.9 44.9±0.8 45.2±1.5
I-B 37.5±1.3 40.5±0.6 39.9±1.3 37.9±1.4 35.5±0.3
II-A 25.2±0.8 25.3±0.5 26.1±1.8 26.5±0.5 25.8±1.1
II-B 21.9±0.9 21.7±0.8 22.3±0.4 21.9±0.5 20.8±0.3
In Table 5 the gloss of the printed surface after printing at
different press loads from 25 to 375N and also the
∆Gloss values, i.e. the differences in gloss between the
printed and unprinted coating layers, are shown. As
expected, the printed surfaces exhibit higher gloss values
than the unprinted coating layer, since the ink may fill in
rough places on the surface. Interestingly, the differences
between the print gloss on different substrates are signifi-
cantly greater than the differences in gloss between the
unprinted coating layers. Nevertheless, the surface rough-
ness of the substrate appears to influence the print gloss,
since, e.g., the print on the smoothest surface (I-A) has
the highest print gloss. As in the case of the unprinted
coating layers, the gloss values of the prints are also
dependent on the particle size of the calcium carbonate.
The press loads had little influence on the print gloss.
Print density
Fig 3 shows the print densities of the full tone prints on
the different substrates at the different printing forces.
The figure shows on all substrates a maximum at an
intermediate force. It also reveals a stronger influence on
the latex than of the pigment size. The print density was
higher on the coating layers containing latex A than latex
B. The influence of the pigment particle size was relative-
ly limited. The fact that I-B and II-B give similar print
densities suggests that the porosity has no great influence
on print density. Intuitively, one might relate the higher

Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006 571
9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.19 Sida 572

print density to a larger ink volume transferred, as sug-

gested by Tollenaar and Ernst (1961), but the atomic
absorption spectroscopy measurements, Table 6, seem to
exclude this possibility since there are essentially no
differences in the amounts of copper on the different
printed samples. This suggests that the differences in
print density have other origins than the amount of ink
transferred. Since the substrates have essentially the same
reflectivity the difference in print density cannot be an
optical effect of the substrate. This implies that the
differences are due to different ink-substrate interaction,
probably due to the polarity of the substrates.
Fig 3. The print density of the full-tone print on the different coating layers (error
Table 6. The amount of copper in the printed sample measured by atomic absorp- bars shows the 95% confidence interval) as a function of printing force.
tion spectroscopy (flame).

Substrate I-A I-B II-A II-B

Amount of Cu [mg/kg] 61 ± 0 61 ± 2 59 ± 2 63 ± 1

Here we will give a tentative explanation to the pheno-

mena observed from an ink-substrate interaction point of
view. Substrates with a higher polarity, γAB, may promote
easier penetration of the fluid phase, water in this case,
and this may result in a different build-up of the ink layer
structure than in a latex with less polar surface properti-
es. This will thereby result in different dewatering of the
wet ink film. A higher rate of dewatering of the ink film
may draw the ink pigment particle together and form a
Fig 4. The roughness of the full-tone print (error bars shows the 95% confidence
more tight and dense ink layer. This in turn may lead to a interval based on 6 individual measurements).
higher print density. Olsson et al. (2006) studied the
imbibition of fluids with different viscosities, dipole in a higher gloss than latex B, which may be an effect of
moments and surface tensions into different model their different chemical properties. After printing, the
coatings. They showed that the polarity of the fluid percentage increase in gloss is considerably higher for
influenced the depth of penetration of the fluid. the calcium carbonate II than I coatings. The calcium
This tentative explanation is supported by the gloss carbonate II coatings have a rougher surface than I, and
and roughness measurements, since the driving force this can more easily be improved if the ink fills larger
forming a more tight and dense ink layer may also contri- pits and thereby gives a smooth surface. However, the
bute to form a smoother (Fig 4) ink layer and thereby a calcium carbonate I give a final gloss value higher than
higher print gloss (Table 5) and a greater gloss improve- the calcium carbonate II coating layers.
ment (∆Gloss in Table 5). The ink film roughness, Fig 4,
shows a behaviour similar to that of the printing density. Dot geometry
The A latices both gave higher printing densities and The geometry of the individual dots was characterized
smoother surfaces than the B latices. Latex A also results using interference profilometry. The diameters of dots in

tion (left) and the cross printing direction (right). Filled characters represent 40% tone values and unfilled 60% tone values. ♦ I-A; g I-B; 5 II-A; X II-B 40%; + II-B 60%.
Fig 5. The calculated dot enlargement of a 0.73 (40%) and 0.74 (60%) mm, in diameter, dot on the printing form measured with interference profilometry in the printing direc-

572 Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006
9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.19 Sida 573
both the printing and cross-printing directions were deter-
mined. As shown in Fig 5, the halftone dots tend to have
a greater diameter in the printing direction than in the
cross printing direction. At low pressures, there is in fact
a contraction in the cross direction. This is probably a
consequence of a combined effect where the substrate is
pulled through the printing nip at the same time as the
printing plate is pressed against the substrate causing a
deformation of the circular dot on the plate. Similar
observations have been reported by Lagerstedt and
Kolseth (1995) who shows that the printed dots were
mangled out and even merged together in the printing
direction when the printing pressure was increased. They
also reported that the printing speed had no effect on the
shape of the observed printed dots.
Another possible reason, although not investigated in
this study, for the heterogeneous deformation, and especi-
ally for the contraction observed in the cross printing
direction, is the ink elongation (and splitting) producing a
retraction motion.
It was also found that the dot enlargement in both the
printing and cross printing direction was non-linear with
respect to printing pressure. To be able to compare diffe-
rent dot sizes as well as different tone values, the printing
pressure rather than the printing force is used. The pres-
sure was calculated from the printing force, the nip
length, number of dots and the individual dot area on the
printing plate. It is evident in Fig 5 the dot enlargement
increases approximately linearly at low printing pressu-
res, but that it deviates from linearity when the pressure
becomes higher. This is probably due to the deformation ∆R 1  R1 
of the printing plate and its increasing contact area with
R0 2  R0 
the coating layer.
Bould et al. (2004b) studied the plate deformation and
they concluded that the dot gain is an effect of the
printing plate deformation. They suggested two forms of
deformation of the printing plate, i.e. either dot
expansion or sides collapsing. The non-linear behaviour
evident in our measurements may be a combined effect of
these deformation mechanisms. It is possible that the dot
is able to maintain its form at low pressures but at higher
pressures the dot deformation through side collapse or
dot expansion begins to be visible. One should, however,
remember that ink spreading on the surface also
contributes to the final dot gain, and this has not been
considered here.
A mathematical model of printing plate deformation
To further understand the dot enlargement process, we
have made an effort to develop a mathematical model
that describes the relationship between the dot deforma-
tion and the pressure exerted on the printing plate. The
printing plate is made of a polymeric material which
undergoes deformation under the pressure to which it is
subjected in the printing nip.
Fig 6 is a diagram of a dot with (right) and without
(left) pressure being exerted on it. The dot is attached to
the printing plate base on the top side. We assume that
the dot has a truncated conical structure and that its
original dimensions are R0, R1, and H (Fig 6a). The dot
Fig 6. Schematic figure of dot deformation on a printing plate. Left: the original
dimensions of the dot. Right: the dimension of the dot under pressure.
deforms under pressure and its dimensions become R, R1,
and H-d, respectively (Fig 6b). Due to the constraint of
the printing plate base, the radius at the top of the dot
(R1) remains unchanged (or the deformation is negligible)
during printing. According to Hooke’s law, the height
deformation of the dot, d, caused by the pressure, P, is
P
d= [1]
k
where k is the elastic stiffness of the printing plate.
Assuming that the material is incompressible, the fol-
lowing relation applies due to volume conservation:
1 1
3
( ) ( )(
π H R12 + R0 R1 + R02 = π H − d R12 + RR1 + R2 [2]
3
)
Let ∆R=R-R0 be the dot enlargement. The relative dot
enlargement, ∆R/R0 , can then be expressed as:
 2 
R1   R2 R  P kH 
= −2 − +  2 +  + 4  2 + + 1
1 1
[3]
R0   R0 R0  1 − P kH 
 
Eq 3 shows that the relative dot enlargement depends
nonlinearly on the relative height deformation,
P/(kH)=d/H, unless the pressure is small. It is easy to
prove that when P/(kH)<<1,
R12 R1
2
+ +1
∆R R0 R0 P
= [4]
R0 R kH
2+ 1
R0
In other words, the relative dot enlargement, considered
as a diameter increase, increases linearly with respect to
the increasing pressure when the pressure is small, but
non-linearly when the pressure is further increased.
Secondly, the relative dot enlargement depends on the
ratio of the radii, R1/R0. A typical height of a flexographic
printing plate is 0.8-1 mm with an angle to the printing
plate base of 10-15º. This means that the ratio (R1/R0) for
different dots will, in our case, be 1.2 to 2.8 for both 60
and 40% tone values.
Fig 7 depicts the relative dot enlargement caused by
dot deformation, calculated according to Eq 3 (solid line)
and by Eq 4 (dashed line). The computation agrees
qualitatively with the experimental observation, Fig 5,
suggesting that dot deformation is the factor responsible
for the non-linear dot enlargement. However, it should be
Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006 573
9 PCCS06 06-12-19 12.19 Sida 574
Fig 7. The relative dot enlargement with respect to the normalized pressure,
P/(kH)=d/H, which is equivalent to the relative dot deformation in the height direc-
tion. In the calculation, a value of R1/R 0= 1.3 is assumed, which is the same ratio
as for the experimental values in Fig 5. The solid line is computed according to
Eq 3 and the dashed line according to Eq 4.
kept in mind that the mathematical model takes into
account only the deformation of a single dot without the
influence of other parameters such as the printing direc-
tion. This is the reason why the model does not foresee
the elliptical shape of the printed dot. It should also be
kept in mind that ink-spreading is an important factor for
the (printed) dot-extension, and this will further affect the
dot enlargement.
Conclusions
Different print densities are observed for a given amount
of ink transferred, on the different substrates, where the
latex character rather than the pore size of the substrates
affects the print density. The more polar substrate resul-
ted in a higher print density than the less polar substrate.
A tentative explanation of ink layer formation, where the
latex polarity promotes different ink layer structures, is
proposed. It is also concluded that the dot enlargement is
not a linear function of the pressure. This applies for both
tone values in the print test, 40 and 60%, and in both the
print direction and cross print direction. A possible
reason is the increasing deformation of the printing plate
dot under pressure. A mathematical model, agreeing well
with the experiments, for printing plate deformation has
been presented. The diameter of the printed halftone dot
was shown to be larger in the print direction than in the
cross print direction.
Acknowledgments
The financial support of the Swedish Pulp and Paper Research Foundation, the
Knowledge Foundation and the Swedish Agency for Innovation System (VINNOVA)
574 Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal Vol 21 no. 5/2006
View publication stats
is gratefully acknowledged. We would also like to thank Noviant Oy for the CMC,
DOW Europe for the latex, Omya AB for the calcium carbonates and ANI Printing
Inks, now XSYS Print Solutions, for the flexographic ink.
Literature
Bohan, M.F.J., Claypole, T.C.D., Gethin, T.C. and Megat Ahmed, M.M.H.
(2000): A Model for Ink Impression in Printing Contacts, J. Pulp. Pap. Sci. 11(26),
414-419.
Bould, D.C., Claypole, T.C. and Bohan, M.F.J. (2004a): An Experimental
Investigation into Flexographic Printing Plates, Journal of Graphic Technology,
3(1), 1-8
Bould, D.C., Claypole, T.C. and Bohan, M.F.J. and Gethin, D. T. (2004b):
Deformation of Flexographic Printing Plates, 56th Annual TAGA Technical
Conference, San Antonio, TX, USA.
DePaoli, A. (1981): The Effect of Printing Conditions on Dot Gain, TAGA
Proceedings, 17-42.
Engström, G. and Rigdahl, M. (1992): Binder migration – Effect on printability
and print quality, Nord. Pulp Paper Res. J. 2(7), 55-74.
Etzler, F.M., Buche, M.J., Bobalek, F. and Weiss, M.A. (1995): Surface Free
Energy of Paper and Inks: Printability Issues, Papermakers Conference, Chicago,
IL, USA, TAPPI Press, 383-394.
Finely, C. (1997): Priniting Paper and Ink, Delmar Publishers, p.439.
Gane, P.A.C., and Ridgway, C.J. (2000): Rate of Absorption of Flexographic Ink
into Porous Structure: Relation to Dynamic Polymer Entrapment During Preferred
Pathway Imbibition, Advances in printing science and technology volume 27:
advances in paper and board performance: proceedings of the 27th research
conference of IARIGAI, Graz, Austria, Pira International Ltd, 59-85.
Lagerstedt, P. and Kolseth, P. (1995): Influence of surface energetics on ink
transfer in flexo printing, Advances in printing science and technology: proceedings
of the 23rd research conference of IARIGAI, Paris, France, IARIGAI, 269-299.
Oittinen, P. and Saarelma, H. (1998): Printing, Fapet Oy, p.295.
Olsson, R., van Stam, J. and Lestelius, M. (2006): Imbibition into model cal-
cium carbonate coatings of fluids with different dipole moments, Appita J. 6(59),
471-475.
Ridgway, C.J. and Gane, P.A.C. (2005): The Impact of Pore Network Structure on
the Absorption of Pigmented Inkjet Inks, Tappi Coating Conference, Toronto,
Canada, Tappi Press, Atlanta, USA, p.15.
Rousu, S.P., Gane, D., Spielmann, and Eklund, D. (2000): Separation of off-set
ink components during absorption into pigment coating structures, Nord. Pulp
Paper Res. J. 5(15), 527-535.
Tollenaar, D. and Ernst, P A.H. (1961): Optical Density and Ink Layer Thickness,
Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of Printing Research Institutes,
Elsinore, Denmark, 214-234.
Triantafillopoulos, N., Rosinski, J. and Serafano, J. (1992): The Role of Ink and
Paper Chemistry in Water Based Publication Gravure, International Printing and
Graphic Arts Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, TAPPI Press, 279-289.
Van Gilder, R.L. and Smith, D. A. (1998): Development of a high polarity latex
polymer suitable for waterless sheetfed offset paper coatings, 1998 Pan-Pacific
and International Printing and Graphic Arts Conference, Québec City, Québec,
van Oss, C. J. (1994): Interfacial Forces in Aqueous Media, Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Canada, p. 440.
Manuscript received May 16, 2006
Accepted September 29, 2006