Gravure Printing Inks: Everything You Need to Know

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. None of these would look the way they do without these inks.

But what exactly are they?

Typically used when high quality and sharp, fine lines are necessary, gravure printing is a type of intaglio printing, using copper cylinders that rotate within a gravure-ink-filled pan, which subsequently transfer an image onto the surface material.

The inks themselves have a very low viscosity, and are solvent-based and water-based. In the printing process, the ink actually dries before the paper reaches the next printing station, in order to allow for smudge-free overprinting. A gravure printing ink must print from a fine line screen, and in order for a good gravure ink to be created, it must begin with a high-quality acrylic polymer.

At Gellner Industrial, our acrylic polymers are counted on for superior gravure printing inks. They can effectively be used to create gravure inks that won’t dry in the screen, even when the press undergoes downtime. From magazines, catalogs, cartons, and gift wrap, to vinyl floors and wallpaper, the finest gravure inks come from our polymers.

Inks are an extremely important part of our past, present, and future—and accordingly, so are Gellner acrylic polymers.