The Details of Commercial Printing Technologies

There are different types of technologies used for commercial printing, to print on different substrates. Two most popular printing techniques are flexo and gravure printing. Flexo printing uses an image carrier which may be a polymer or elastomer. These carriers are either sleeve, cylinder or plate. Raised design of final desired print, is created by engraving image carrier. Flexo printing technique is used for printing on flexible plastics, and non-porous materials. In gravure printing, ink is applied to a substrate with the use of metal plate, which is mounted on to a cylinder. This metal plate is made of either copper or chrome. The image or text which is to be printed is laser etched into metal plate. This process gives high quality and precise results.

Printing inks, which are called Pls also are applied to all packaging materials as substrates. Pls are normally applied to the outer surface of the material. Printing inks are manufactured from dyes, binders, solvents and additives. Depending upon the printing technology, (such as flexo, or gravure or any other technology) ink formulation is depended, it also depends on drying mechanism. Pl components can be transferred into food by migration, through the packaging layers into food. It is therefore required to access, whether food packaging ink do not have any toxic effect which can affect the food content. European printing ink association (EuPIA) has issued guidelines and no of documents issued to the manufacturers to comply with the food contact legislation.

Recently,printing ink industry have seen a rapid growth, this is due to increasing demand of food package ink printing, newsprint, publishing and other commercial printing. DIC is one of the largest manufacturers of printing ink in India. Main sectors for use of printing inks are books and stationery, newspaper and printed packaging materials.