Printing Inks Processes, Products, & Polymers

Gellner Industrial manufactures water based acrylic polymers that are sold to companies worldwide that formulate and manufacture printing inks. Printing inks are used on a multitude of materials performed by various printing processes. Those printing processes include Screen printing, Flexographic printing, and Gravure printing.

The Screen printing process involves the use of a screen(s) that is usually made of polyethylene or polypropylene.  For example, think of a window screen with more minute holes that harbor different ink colors.  A reverse negative image will be on a determined amount of screens depending on how many colors will be used to screen print the image. Where the screen is open the ink is put down and a blade is spread across the screen to push the ink through the minute holes of the screen onto a material. Then the ink will be left to dry. After the ink has dried the above mentioned process will continue until the result is the finished product. The following substrates that will host the image include such materials as paper, plastics, glass, fabrics, metals, poster board, and many other substrates. Screen printing has become antiquated and has been replaced by other forms of printing.

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The Flexographic printing process involves a cylinder (also known as a screen) with tiny etchings that produce a wanted image. Ink is placed on the cylinder and a doctor blade scrapes away the excess ink to allow the image to be printing onto a given material. Flexographic printing is primarily used in packaging.

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Flexographic printing ink provides a way to print economically on a variety of surfaces. It is formulated for high-speed printing in an assortment of applications such as corrugated containers, folding cartons, paper sacks, plastic bags, milk and beverage containers, disposable cups and containers, labels, adhesive tapes, envelopes, newspaper, and packaging found in your grocery store. Flexographic printing inks are used more for solid colors and text.

Gellner Industrial’s acrylic polymers, when used in Flexographic printing inks, provide superior adhesion to non-porous surfaces such as vinyl, polypropylene, metals and glass. Our specially formulated acrylic polymers also offer notable alkali resistance, while maintaining excellent press open time for Flexographic printing inks.

The Gravure printing process is similar process to the Flexographic printing process. The difference is that Gravure printing inks are used for high-end applications, used for more photo quality printing, and printed from a fine line screen. Gravure printing inks are used on high-end applications such as magazines, newspaper supplements, catalogs, labels, cartons, and gift wrap.

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Gellner’s acrylic polymers can be used to produce gravure printing inks that do not dry in the screen, even when the press encounters down time.

The qualities that Gellner Industrial’s polymers have that outperform the competition include:

• Adhesion to non porous substrates such as vinyl, polypropylene, polyethylene
• Superior alkali resistance
• Ability to have increased open time to keep the ink from drying
• Superior adhesion, sharpness, and color richness with an array of substrates
• Water Based
• Eco-friendly (Green)

Gellner Industrial manufactures Anionic and Cationic acrylic polymers that are used in the formulation and manufacturing of inks by our customers.

The following are some examples of acrylic polymers that Gellner Industrial manufactures and sells to ink producing companies.

• 25-50E
• 25-30
• M-30
• M-49
• G-35
• SX-75

Water based ink compared to solvent based ink has its pros and cons. Water based ink is more environmentally friendly, contains less emissions, presents less regulations, and is easier to clean up because you can use water.

Typically solvent inks work better than water based inks, but in certain instances water based ink has caught up to solvent ink standards. There will always be cases where solvent based ink works better for company’s applications than water based ink until technology can catch up. However, in some cases water based ink does work better than its counterpart.