New pigment technology increases color strength in water ink systems by 20 percent

　　-- Flint Ink, the world's largest privately-owned printing ink manufacturer, announces a revolutionary, highly concentrated color technology for water inks called X-TREME^TM Dispersions. The new colorants increase the color strength of water ink systems by 20 percent without compromising the runnability of the ink. In the past, increasing pigment strength in water ink systems made them heavier, more viscous and difficult to run. X-TREME Dispersions enable printers and converters to create sophisticated, detailed graphics of intense color with thinner ink films at faster press speeds.

　　"Our XTREME Dispersions are the single most significant technological advancement in water inks in the past 10 years," says Steve D'Angelo, director of marketing, Flint Ink North America Packaging Division. "X-TREME Dispersions use a unique, proprietary chemistry to create stronger inks without increasing viscosity, resulting in significant improvements in print quality, ink curing and press speed. Printers gain high-strength color, high-end graphics capabilities, and on-press stability in one product."

　　D'Angelo credits Flint Ink's vertical integration for development of the new technology, citing the cooperation between pigment scientists, pigment and dispersion manufacturing, and the packaging division's product development lab.

　　The new dispersions yield clean, precise images on combination plates fitted with the finest anilox rolls. They create vibrant, resistant ink systems that dry quickly and run easily. "With more concentrated pigment in the ink, ink systems have more room for resin and other additives that improve ink performance both on the press and the substrate," explains D'Angelo.

　　X-TREME Dispersions are available in an array of Pantone® colors, and are well suited to inks for flexographic and gravure presses. The new colorants create additional press efficiencies. The inks are more fluid and easier to handle, allowing for faster filling of ink cells. In addition, the high color concentration of the pigments makes the residual ink easier to recycle.

　　By ensuring an optimal relationship between ink strength and ink film thickness applied on the press, X-TREME Dispersions provide significant cost-savings. The new dispersions help converters achieve color targets with thinner ink films, creating dramatic improvements in ink mileage. In one instance, a converter changed from a standard ink using a 280 line flexo anilox to an X-TREME Dispersions ink using a 380 line roller, and reduced ink usage by 30 percent.

[时间：2004-03-15  作者：Bisenet  来源：Bisenet]