Study of Ink Misting Phenomena

The aim of this study is to give a better understanding of ink misting phenomena. The occurrence of this particular behavior leads to various problems, especially in the field of high-speed printing. Several parameters influence this complex behavior of an ink running on the rotating rollers of the press. Among these, rheological properties are of prime importance. In our study, special emphasis was placed on the visco-elastic features of the ink, together with other aspects related to ink flow in the nip. The rheological measurements were conducted on a cone-plate rheometer and on a visco-analyser. Different attempts were made to quantify and analyze the phenomenon, including image analysis of patterns obtained from misting of ink or varnish samples running on a Tack-o-Scope compared to weighing methods. The correlations obtained between these results and the rheological properties of the inks suggest solutions concerning ink formulation.