Height Adjustable Drafting Table Electric Drafting Table,Adjustable Drafting Desk,Adjustable Height Drawing Table,Sit Stand Drafting Desk,Standing Drafting Desk Suzhou Uplift Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.upliftec.com
Indispensable auxiliary materials in heat transfer industry: glue, ink
As an emerging industry, thermal transfer printing is gaining more and more market share. However, it's not always easy to carve out a place in this competitive field. Are you familiar with the differences between gravure printing, screen printing, and color printing? Do you ever feel confused when choosing the right inks and adhesives for your project? Today, we’ll address these common concerns from users, helping you better understand the types of inks and glues used in different printing methods and avoiding any potential missteps during purchase.
1. **Gravure Printing**
Gravure printing is a direct printing technique where ink stored in engraved cells on a cylinder is transferred directly onto the substrate. This method produces a raised texture, with rich layers, sharp lines, and high-quality results. It’s commonly used for books, magazines, packaging, and decorative items. However, gravure printing involves a longer plate-making process, higher costs, and is typically suited for large-volume production. So, what kind of ink is ideal for gravure printing?
1.1 **LX-402 Back Coating Agent / Back Coating Ink**
This ink helps prevent static and ensures that the adhesive layer doesn’t stick to the back of the product during production. It is usually applied once using a 200-line coating roller at a speed of 40–80 meters per minute.
2. **Screen Printing**
Screen printing works by using a squeegee to push ink through a mesh screen onto the substrate, replicating the original design. The equipment is simple, cost-effective, and easy to use. Screen printing offers vibrant colors, long shelf life, and fast turnaround times. But what inks and adhesives are best suited for this method?
Let’s start by understanding the basic sequence of screen printing inks:
**Transparent Pulp → Glitter Pulp → White Glue Pulp → Anti-Sublimation Pulp → Adhesive**
Now let’s break down each component:
2.1 **Transparent Pulp**
- **301 Ordinary Transparent Pulp**: An economical acrylic-based coating.
- **305-A4 Advanced Elastic Transparent Pulp**: Eco-friendly, high-elastic polyurethane coating.
2.2 **Glitter Pulp**
- **BB-030 Golden Onion Pulp**: Highly transparent, used for creating golden onion effects.
2.3 **White Glue**
- **301-B White Mortar & 304-B High Wear-Resistant White Mortar**: Economical, acrylic-based coatings.
- **305-B & 305-AB Advanced Elastic White Mortar**: Environmentally friendly, high-elastic polyurethane coatings.
2.4 **Anti-Sublimation Pulp**
- **303-H Anti-Sublimation Glue**: Used to block TC cloth and sublimation dyes.
2.5 **Hot Melt Glue**
- **HMA-200A**: Economical, suitable for most fabrics. Moderate flexibility.
- **HMA-529C**: Ideal for all fabrics. Excellent elasticity, soft hand feel, and best wash fastness.
- **HMA-531A**: High elastic polyurethane, specially designed for water washing.
- **HMA-533**: Offers both elasticity and water resistance, but not as superior as HMA-529C.
2.6 **Screen Printing Ink**
Screen printing inks have high viscosity, good printability, slow drying, and stable standing viscosity.
- **Net W-110 Transparent**, **Net W-102 White**, and other Net W series colors: Medium to high-grade solvent-based polyurethane inks, known for high stretch, resilience, and excellent wash fastness. They are ideal for watermark or high-end heat transfer products and meet SGS EU environmental standards.
- **PA-102 PVC White Joint Ink**: Specifically used for printing on PVC sheets. Non-elastic but offers strong coverage and adhesion, also meeting SGS EU standards.
3. **Color Printing**
Color printing involves either direct or indirect methods to create images or text on a printing plate. The ink is then transferred under pressure to paper or other substrates, resulting in vivid, saturated colors with a wide color gamut and smooth transitions—often surpassing traditional printing results.
After learning about the inks and adhesives used in gravure and screen printing, what about color printing?
Color printing inks are categorized into: **sublimation color printing ink, UV color printing ink, low temperature color printing ink, and high temperature color printing ink**.
3.1 **Sublimation Color Printing Ink**
Imported disperse dyes with high transfer efficiency and bright colors, ideal for offset color printing.
3.2 **UV Color Printing Ink**
Tough UV ink, suitable for heat transfer and printing on soft PVC materials. Offers vibrant colors, alkali and wear resistance.
3.3 **Low Temperature Color Printing Ink**
Designed for low-temperature heat transfer. **302-B Red** is a special custom product, lightfast and washable.
3.4 **High Temperature Color Printing Ink**
Used for high-temperature heat transfer applications.
For example, if you want to do gradient heat transfer, you must use color printing. Keep in mind that gradients may affect the visual effect, as color printing cannot produce metallic shades like gold or silver, nor can it replicate highly colorful patterns. These must be done using screen printing instead.