TianDi Chemical Gravure Printing Inks: Stable Color Solutions for High-Speed Packaging Printing
In modern packaging printing, gravure printing has become the dominant method for flexible packaging, cigarette labels, and building material decoration due to its advantages: thick ink layers, rich tonal gradations, color stability, and high print speeds. The quality of gravure printing largely depends on ink performance—factors such as flowability, drying speed, and coloring power directly impact product quality and production efficiency.
About Tiandi Chemical
Zhejiang Tiandi Chemical Co., Ltd. was established in 2006 and is based in Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province. As a high-tech enterprise specializing in coatings and inks, the company produces PVC ink, OPP ink, polyurethane integrated ink, and hot/cold transfer ink across solvent-based and water-based product lines, with an annual output value of 6000 yuan. The company holds qualifications for hazardous chemical production and continuously expands capacity through technical upgrades. It also collaborates with Quzhou University to establish a postdoctoral workstation for advancing R&D.
Core Components of Gravure Ink
Gravure ink is a stable, colored colloidal dispersion system primarily composed of the following components:
Ingredients | Rough proportions | Feature Description |
Pigment | 10-15% | Determines color and opacity; gravure inks typically use organic pigments with high dispersion and strong tinting strength. |
Solid resin (vehicle) | 25-35% | Acts as a binder to form a film, determining the ink's adhesion, gloss, and abrasion resistance. |
Organic solvents (volatile components) | 40-60% | Adjusting ink viscosity and drying speed is key to the fast-drying characteristics of gravure inks. |
Additives | 0.5-4% | Adjust printability, such as improving flow and extending open time. |
The key to flexographic inks' ability to handle high-speed printing lies in their volatile drying mechanism: after printing, the solvent evaporates rapidly, allowing the ink film to set quickly and enabling immediate progression to the next step.
Product Use Cases
Tian Di Chemical's gravure printing inks are suitable for the following applications:
PVC Ink: For printing on PVC films, PVC sheets, and other substrates.
OPP Ink: For packaging printing on biaxially oriented polypropylene films
Polyurethane Integrated Ink: Ideal for printing on composite packaging materials with excellent adhesion.
Hot and Cold Transfer Ink: Designed for both hot and cold transfer processes to meet personalized decoration needs.
The products above are available in both traditional solvent-based and waterborne eco-friendly formulations to meet diverse customer process requirements and environmental standards.
Technology & Quality Assurance
The performance of gravure inks directly affects print stability and quality. Key performance indicators include:
Flowability: Determines how smoothly ink is delivered through the inking system. Poor flowability can cause issues such as plate smearing and uneven coating.
Viscosity: Determines ink transfer rate. Excessive viscosity reduces transfer, while insufficient viscosity compromises color saturation. Gravure printing ink viscosity is typically controlled within the 18-30 seconds/25°C range.
Drying: Too fast drying can cause dot loss and smearing; too slow affects downstream processes. The key to controlling drying speed is the proper solvent ratio.
Tinting Strength: Inks with high tinting strength require less ink and dry faster, supporting high-speed printing production.
Leveraging the R&D capabilities of its Doctoral Workstation, Tiandi Chemical continuously optimizes ink formulations to meet industry standards for printability, color performance, and environmental compliance.
Conclusion
In an industry trend driven by high efficiency, superior quality, and sustainability, flexographic ink technology continues to advance. Tiandi Chemical, based in Quzhou, specializes in ink manufacturing, dedicated to providing packaging and printing companies with stable, versatile flexo inks.
For more product information or technical support, please contact us.