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Indispensable auxiliary materials in heat transfer industry: glue, ink
As an emerging industry, thermal transfer printing is gaining more attention in the market. However, it's not as simple as it seems to get a share of this growing sector. Are you familiar with the differences between gravure printing, screen printing, and color printing? Do you know which inks and adhesives are suitable for each method? If you're confused when purchasing materials, you're not alone. Today, we’ll break down these key points from a user’s perspective, helping you understand inks and adhesives better and avoid common pitfalls during your purchase.
1. **Gravure Printing**
Gravure printing is a direct method where ink stored in engraved cells is transferred directly onto the substrate. This technique creates a raised texture with rich layers, sharp lines, and high-quality results. It's commonly used for printing books, magazines, catalogs, and packaging. However, the plate-making process is time-consuming, costly, and best suited for large-scale production. So, what kind of ink is ideal for gravure printing?
1.1 **LX-402 Back Coating Agent / Ink**
This ink helps prevent static buildup and avoids sticking between the glue layer and the backside of the product during printing. It’s typically applied once using a 200-line coating roller at a speed of 40–80 meters per minute.
2. **Screen Printing**
Screen printing involves using a squeegee to push ink through the mesh of a design, transferring it onto the substrate. The equipment is simple, cost-effective, and easy to operate. Screen printing offers vibrant colors, long shelf life, and quick turnaround times. But what inks and adhesives should you choose for this method?
Let’s first look at the basic sequence of screen printing inks:
**Transparent Pulp → Glitter Pulp → White Glue Pulp → Anti-Sublimation Pulp → Adhesive**
Now, let’s go into detail about each component.
2.1 **Transparent Pulp**
- **301 Ordinary Transparent Pulp**: An economical option made from acrylic resin.
- **305-A4 Advanced Elastic Transparent Pulp**: Environmentally friendly, high-elastic polyurethane-based, offering better flexibility.
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**: Economical, acrylic-based.
- **304-B High Wear-Resistant White Mortar**: Durable and cost-effective.
- **305-B & 305-AB Advanced Elastic White Mortar**: Eco-friendly, high-elastic polyurethane for better stretch.
2.4 **Anti-Sublimation Pulp**
- **303-H Anti-Sublimation Glue**: Prevents sublimation dyes from bleeding on TC fabric.
2.5 **Hot Melt Adhesive**
- **HMA-200A**: Economical, suitable for most fabrics, average flexibility.
- **HMA-529C**: Ideal for all fabrics, high elasticity, soft hand feel, excellent wash fastness.
- **HMA-531A**: High-elastic polyurethane, perfect for water-resistant applications.
- **HMA-533**: Offers both elasticity and wash resistance, but slightly less than HMA-529C.
2.6 **Screen Printing Ink**
Screen printing inks have high viscosity, good printability, slow drying, and stable standing viscosity. Our products like **Net W-110 (transparent)**, **Net W-102 (white)**, and other Net W series colors are high-end solvent-based polyurethane inks, known for excellent stretch, resilience, and wash resistance. They are ideal for producing fine watermarks or premium heat transfer products and meet SGS EU environmental standards. **PA-102 PVC White Joint Ink** is specifically designed for PVC sheet heat transfer, offering strong adhesion and opacity, also meeting SGS EU standards.
3. **Color Printing**
Color printing uses either direct or indirect methods to create images or text on a printing plate. The ink is then transferred under pressure onto paper or other substrates, resulting in vivid, saturated colors with a wide color gamut and smooth transitions—far surpassing traditional printing techniques.
After understanding the inks and adhesives for gravure and screen printing, what about color printing?
Color printing inks come in several types: **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 excellent transfer efficiency and bright colors, ideal for offset printing.
3.2 **UV Color Printing Ink**
Tough UV ink used for heat transfer, offering vibrant colors, resistance to alkali and wear, and suitable for soft PVC printing.
3.3 **Low Temperature Color Printing Ink**
Designed for low-temperature heat transfer. **302-B Red** is a custom-made product, lightfast and washable.
3.4 **High Temperature Color Printing Ink**
Suitable for high-temperature heat transfer applications.
**Important Note:** If you want to do gradient heat transfer, color printing is essential. However, keep in mind that gradients may affect the final result. Also, gold, silver, and highly colorful metallic tones cannot be achieved through color printing—they must be done via screen printing instead.