Pre-Damping Effects on Water Absorption and Drying Dynamics in Flexographic Printing, TAPPICon25

The control of fluid absorption rate into uncoated and coated boards is crucial for optimal printing performance. Understanding the roles of porosity, pore structure connectivity, surface topography, and surface energy in fluid absorption is essential. In printing processes such as water-based inkjet and flexographic printing, absorbing significant fluid solvent volumes while fixing the color at the surface is a key requirement. However, wet trapping of water-based flexographic ink on coated boards can be problematic, especially when drying capabilities are limited [Thorman 2018]. Multi-color printing can result in slow drying of the first ink layer and reticulation or rejection of the second ink layer, leading to mottle and poor print quality. This issue is typically addressed by selecting a coating formulation with the right combination of pigments and binders. In the current work we explore the impact of pre-damping the surface prior to printing to determine if this can help speed up liquid absorption and improve flexographic inks wet trapping.

TAPPI conference proceedings and presentations, technical papers, and publication articles provide technical and management data and solutions on topics covering the Pulp, Paper, Tissue, Corrugated Packaging, Flexible Packaging, Nanotechnology and Converting Industries.

Simply select the quantity, add to your cart and your conference paper, presentation or article will be available for immediate download.