Abstract

In this study, an alternative aqueous isopropyl alcohol-free fountain solution for sheet-fed offset printing is prepared comprising 5 w/w% McIlvaine's buffer system for pH control, 0.3 w/w% Polysorbate 80 as a surfactant, 1 w/w% magnesium nitrate hexahydrate as a conductivity agent and 10 w/w% ethylene glycol mono-butyl ether as an additional wetting agent. The percentages of each composition are w/w% of active and then adjusted to 100 w/w% by adding distilled water. The contact angles of the obtained fountain solution on non-image areas of three common offset printing plates: CTP plate of Kodak, CTP plate of Huaguang Graphic Co. Ltd (China), and CTP plate of Mylan Printing Media Co. Ltd (Vietnam), range from 10° to 20°.The surface tension, conductivity, pH and viscosity were found to be 30.5 mN/m, 1.45 mS/cm, 4.8, and 1.05 x 10-2 g/cm.s, respectively. In comparison to the commercial fountain solution (KF – Trade Mark (China) containing isopropyl alcohol (IPA), the obtained fountain solution shows similar wettability on the non-image area of the offset printing plate whilst having similar physico-chemical parameters. The results indicate that ethylene glycol mono-butyl ether could be a potential substitute for IPA in fountain solution in offset printing, and the obtained fountain solution displays suitable properties for the offset printing process.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call