Designers and packaging printing factories often require spot color printing techniques in packaging printing processes to achieve more expressive design effects. For example: gold/silver printing technology.
Gold and silver ink printing, also known as printing gold or printing silver, belong to metal ink, characterized by nobility, elegance, color saturation, and wide application. There are two main components that make up gold and silver ink: pigments (color) and binders (ink blending oil).
The pigment in gold ink, commonly known as “gold powder”, is actually a flake like powder made of copper and zinc alloy in a certain proportion. If the copper content in the gold powder exceeds 85%, the color of the gold ink tends to be reddish, and it is commonly referred to as red gold; If the zinc content of the gold ink is between 20% and 30%, it tends to be greenish and is generally referred to as green gold; The material between red gold and green gold is called green red gold.
The pigment of silver ink is aluminum powder, which is composed of 65% flake like aluminum powder and 35% volatile hydrocarbon solvents. Aluminum powder pigment has a small specific gravity and is easy to float in liquids. The binder used in gold and silver ink is a special ink adjusting oil. It is generally referred to as gold adjusting oil or silver adjusting oil, and its main components are oil, resin, organic solvent auxiliary materials, etc.
Due to the unique metallic luster of gold and silver ink, they have been occupying an important position in the printing industry for many years. Gold and silver ink printing have also undergone continuous technological innovations in practical applications. The magnificence and elegance of gold add a festive and gorgeous atmosphere to printed materials The elegant and noble appearance of silver has also gained more attention from designers and businesses. Common ones include full plate gold or silver, partial gold and silver combination, gold and silver as the base color, and four color overlay printing. Used in picture books, gift packaging, tea packaging boxes, greeting cards, hardcover books, calendars, desk calendars, etc.
Printing gold and silver is actually difficult to control the quality of the finished product in the printing process. Firstly, because the particles of gold ink and silver ink are coarser than those of other ink pigments, it causes the paper to mix with gold during printing The adhesion of silver ink is relatively poor, and there will be slight oxidation and film reaction, which affects the adhesion of the ink. During the drying process, pigment particles are easily precipitated from the binder, resulting in weak adhesion. If other colors of ink are pressed onto gold or silver ink, due to its own properties, it is easy to stick the base ink away, resulting in poor printing or white exposure.
It should be noted that there is a difference between gold and silver printing and hot stamping. Gold printing only requires a single set of film, indicating the spot color, and the spot color channel can be printed normally. Hot stamping not only requires producing a single set of film sheets, but also requires making a hot stamping plate. We won’t go into detail about it.
Lukka Packaging is a manufacturer with over 50 years of printing experience, deeply rooted in the field of paper product printing, with exquisite craftsmanship and quality assurance. Serving tens of thousands of enterprises in home appliances, digital 3C, logistics and transportation, food, fresh agricultural products, toys and daily necessities.
