Posts tagged ‘low bleed curable reducer’
Tip of the Week: Avoiding Bubbles on Prints
Ever experienced that your print has ink bubbles? In a recent printing tip segment published in Impressions, Kieth Stevens explains how to avoid it:
Bubbles can appear in a print for several reasons. They often develop when ink is too thick, or viscous. To resolve this issue, make the ink thinner by using a curable reducer.
Bubbles also may appear after inks are mixed with a high-speed mixer, in which case you should let the ink sit awhile to allow the bubbles to disperse.
Many types of ink contain a blowing agent to help it with texture, low-bleed properties, or body. Over time, the blowing agent may become activated, especially if the ink was stored at high temperatures, and create bubbles. To rid the ink of bubbles in this case, stir it by hand and allow them to disperse, and then add a little bit of curable reducer.
Bubbles also may appear simply because too much ink is deposited. To avoid this problem, use a harder squeegee to transfer less ink, or adjust the squeegee pressure.
Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been teaching screen printing for more than 10 years and is a regular contributor to International Coatings’ blogs. For more information, visit iccink.com and read the company’s blog at internationalcoatingsblog.com.
For more info on curable reducers, please go to http://www.iccink.com/pdfs/Plastisol%20Reducers-10-06-10.pdf
International Coatings manufactures a complete line of phthalate-compliant screen printing inks, including a wide variety of whites, specialty inks, special effects inks, color matching systems, additives and reducers. For more information on our products, please visit our website at www.iccink.com.
International Coatings: The Intelligent Choice
Curable Reducer
When should you use a curable reducer? Kieth Stevens explains in a recent Printing Tip column published in Impressions Magazine:
There may be many instances where the viscosity of an ink may need to be lightened or its printability may need to be adjusted. For such occasions, curable reducer is ideal.
A curable reducer can be added without affecting the ink’s cure properties; therefore, there is no fear of adding too much reducer. Usually, 1% to 10% can be added (by weight) to adjust an ink’s viscosity. Please note that when working with a low-bleed ink, a Curable Low-Bleed Reducer should be used. Otherwise, thinning a low-bleed ink with a regular curable reducer will lessen its bleed resistance.
Add curable reducer for easier printing through high mesh counts or to create a softer print hand.
Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been teaching screen printing for more than 10 years and is a regular contributor to International Coatings’ blogs. For more information, visit iccink.com and read the company’s blog at internationalcoatingsblog.com.
For more on International Coatings’ Curable Reducers (1099 Curable Low Bleed Reducer & 110 Curable Reducer), check out our product bulletin: http://www.iccink.com/pdfs/Plastisol%20Reducers-10-06-10.pdf. We also offer the 3818 Sentri Curable Reducer soft-hand enhancer: http://www.iccink.com/pdfs/3818%20Sentri%20NP%20Reducer-10-06-10.pdf.
International Coatings manufactures a complete line of phthalate-compliant screen printing inks, including a wide variety of whites, specialty inks, special effects inks, color matching systems, additives and reducers. For more information on our products, please visit our website at www.iccink.com.
International Coatings: The Intelligent Choice
Combat the Cold
Since Winter is upon us and most of the country is feeling the additional cold, we recently published a screen printing tip in Printwear on how to combat issues with your ink during the season. Here is Kieth Stevens with more
Continue Reading February 22, 2012 at 12:32 pm Leave a comment
