Discover gravure printing insights, ink performance considerations, and polymer solutions that support high-quality print results.
Flexo and Gravure inks can be found in many different parts of the printing world. We have covered what these two versatile and prolific water-based inks are and how they work in previous articles.
What is gravure printing? To understand rotogravure printing, a brief primer of intaglio is required. Intaglio is the process used in printing and printmaking in which an image is incised into a surface and where the incised line – or sunken area – holds the ink. There are many applications for intaglio, such as the decoration of armor, musical instruments, and religious objects, as well as mass-printed stock certificates, maps, magazines, newspapers, fabrics, sheet music, wallpapers, banknotes, passports, and high-value postage stamps. Rotogravure – gravure for short – is a type of intaglio printing process which utilizes an engraved cylinder […]
Polymers for Gravure Inks need to be of top-quality. Gravure printing is a method that produces a sharp, fine image. Because of its ability to produce high-quality images, gravure is the preferred printing method when producing a wide range of products such as magazines, catalogs, packaging, gift wrap, wallpaper, and vinyl flooring. The gravure process is a traditional form of printing that uses an engraved cylinder which holds ink in the depressions of the engraving and then transfers the image to the final medium. Because gravure printing requires the ink to print from a fine line screen, the type of […]
OTTOPOL KX-99: Fastest and Most Durable Coating System Ottopol KX-99 is a polymer for water base paint and coatings for concrete you need to know about. Exterior concrete can be a difficult material to coat because it’s easily damages by many harmful elements including UV rays, heavy traffic, and harsh weather conditions. The correct application will protect the concrete from these damaging and costly occurrences and that application is the Ottopol KX-99. The ottopol KX-99 is a hydroxyl functional cationic acrylic solution polymer. Crosslinking can occur at room temperature with 20% polyisocyanates and 20% epoxy silanes. The film will become […]
The Wonders of Wonderwet IV: Zero VOCs, Maximum Quality The summer season means a lot of things to a lot of people and industries: warmer weather, barbeques, outdoor events, and for a variety of industries, outdoor painting projects. With the longer days and higher temperatures, most facilities choose the summer months to tackle their painting, which means paint manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors are busier than ever. This also means that they need to make and choose the best paint products—those that are high-quality, efficient, compliant, and made to last. At Gellner, we’ve created the Ottopol 25 25 paint additive to meet these […]
If you’re one of the country’s 480 gravure printers, you know that anything that can be done to prevent solvent losses from gravure ink printing during press operations is a good thing. Particularly if you’re a product or packaging gravure printer—running a smaller operation with fewer employees—every dollar counts. Knowing this, there’s some good news; according to statistics discovered in a joint study between the Gravure Association of America (GAA) and the EPA, Western Michigan University (WMU), and the University of Tennessee (UT), there are ways that controlling ink temperature can directly reduce your solvent losses while improving your print […]
Did you know that ink was used as far back as 2500 B.C.E.? How about the fact that inks were used in such historical contexts as the Dead Sea Scrolls, William Shakespeare’s plays, and, of course, the first printing presses? Much has changed since each of those uses, particularly the way we communicate, but one thing remains the same: the universal necessity for ink. One of the most important and widely used types are gravure printing inks, which are used for such applications as glossy magazine, wallpaper, and the wrapping paper on birthday presents—as well as the accompanying birthday cards. […]