Characterization and Control of Lithographic Ink Emulsions

Recently, increased emphasis has been placed on characterization of the rheology of lithographic ink emulsions in addition to the neat ink. A new test method is described for assessing emulsion rheology using a portable parallel plate viscometer. The flow behavior of ink emulsions at various shear rates is compared to the neat ink. Applications are described with regard to the characterization and formulation of web offset newspaper inks. The effects of volume fraction of aqueous phase, ink composition, fountain solution, and temperature are described.