UV reflective ink
UV reflective ink, commonly known as laser ink, is a special ink used for reflective (laser) printing. Reflective actually refers to reflected light rather than refracted light, so reflective printing is also known as reflective pattern printing. Reflective printing uses the principle of light reflection to achieve its special decorative effect. It uses materials with high light reflectivity, usually gold and silver cardboard, aluminized film or mirror stainless steel, etc., as the substrate.
There are three common types of reflective printing: traditional mechanical reflective printing, laser reflective printing and the currently more popular screen reflective printing. In fact, the essence of these three methods is the same, all of which use embossing to replicate the reflective texture pattern onto the surface of the substrate.
Mechanical refraction is achieved by laser engraving or etching to engrave the refractive texture pattern on a metal plate, and then using high pressure to transfer the refractive texture pattern to the surface of the substrate. Mechanical refraction can be achieved using either rotary or flat pressing. Rotary pressing is suitable for large-area, high-volume printing jobs, while flat pressing is suitable for small-area, low-volume printing jobs.
Laser refraction is similar to mechanical refraction, except that the formation of the refractive plate texture is much more complicated. First, a laser records the refraction pattern information on a holographic recording material, and then the refractive texture is replicated onto a rigid metal template using electroforming to form a very dense raster that is invisible to the human eye, and the refractive texture pattern is transferred and imprinted onto the surface of the substrate. Mechanical and laser refraction do not require ink, and only need to pass through a rigid stencil to imprint the refractive texture onto the surface of the substrate using pressure. Screen printing refraction, however, requires the use of ink, i.e. UV refractive ink.
Screen printing with UV reflective ink involves combining the fine screen printing technique with advanced desktop publishing technology to create a screen with a reflective texture. Printing with UV reflective ink using this screen produces extremely fine, multi-colored reflective (laser) patterns on mirror-like gold and silver foil cardboards. These regular, concave-convex patterns produce a unique three-dimensional effect with a layered, shimmering sense of light when illuminated.
Because the traditional method of creating a reflective (laser) texture using embossing is costly and the results are not ideal, reflective printing is now mostly done using screen printing with UV reflective ink. Reflective printing is mainly used in high-end packaging for cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and handicrafts, as well as for invitations, calendars, greeting cards, and other products. After printing, the packaging not only looks dazzling, luxurious, and three-dimensional, but also has a certain anti-counterfeiting effect.
The refractive effect is a surface finishing process that is applied to the surface of certain substrates with a metallic texture, so that it has a changing metallic luster and a clearly distinguishable three-dimensional image from all viewing angles. The first condition for the refraction effect is that the surface of the substrate has a metallic luster, preferably a luster that achieves a certain mirror-like reflection effect; the second condition is that the surface of the substrate is printed with a refractive texture. The refractive texture is a texture pattern composed of a series of regular parallel, equidistant, extremely fine solid lines at several different angles, such as concentric circular refractive textures and parallel linear refractive textures.
The refraction effect is the result of the interaction between light and the refractive texture. After light enters the surface of the substrate printed with a refractive texture from all directions, the reflected light is affected by the refractive texture, resulting in reflection in more directions. Some light even interferes, enhancing the reflection effect, and finally creating a sparkling refraction effect.
The refractive pattern in refractive printing is fine and complex. It is composed of dozens of lines with different angles and radii arranged at equal distances. The thickness of the lines is 0.10-0.15mm. Therefore, UV refractive inks are required to have high gloss, high resolution and excellent thixotropy to ensure clear lines after screen printing.
UV reflective inks need to be placed in the workshop one day in advance to bring the ink temperature to the same as the temperature of the production workshop, because a difference in temperature will cause the viscosity of the ink to change, and the printing results will also be different. The ink must be stirred well before use to give it good printability and improve the evenness of the ink. When printing, you can add the appropriate amount of thinner as needed to dilute the ink. If the area of the printed image is large, a high-precision screen printing machine must be used to ensure quality. Small areas can be printed manually.
Avoid contact with the skin when using UV reflective inks. If the ink sticks to the skin, rinse immediately with soapy water. Improper storage or the expiration date of the ink will change its characteristics and affect the printing results. Store in a cool, dark place (18-25°C) and keep sealed. The shelf life is 6 months.
Screen printing is simple and does not require high technical skills. Although the production efficiency is relatively low and the anti-counterfeiting effect is slightly inferior to mechanical and laser refraction, the refraction effect is also very strong, and the average cost is low for small batches of products. Therefore, screen printing has developed rapidly in recent years and is highly regarded by many small and medium-sized enterprises. It has now become the main trend in refractive printing.
UV varnish is a colorless transparent ink that does not use pigments. It is actually a kind of UV transparent varnish. For its preparation.
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