Balancing Water and Ink: A Study on Fountain Solution Parameters inOffset Printing

Fountain solution plays a critical role in offset printing, with several key sensitivities related toviscosity, surface tension, interactions with the plate, cylinders, and ink. Therefore, achievingconsistent, high-quality printing without adversely affecting the printing machine and platenecessitates careful consideration of these factors. This paper investigates the effect of fountainsolution pH, conductivity, and surface tension on the water/ink balance and printing performance.Water pick-up was measured, and printing stability was investigated to optimize the fountain solutionformulation. The study found that increasing fountain solution conductivity and reducing its pH to aspecific level can reduce water pick-up and improve printing stability. However, exceeding thisconductivity and pH level causes ink to precipitate on the plate. Similarly, while incorporatingsurfactants can positively influence water/ink balance, excessive surfactant concentrations negativelyimpact this balance.

Balancing Water and Ink: A Study on Fountain Solution Parameters inOffset Printing Keywords:

Adhesives , Foams , Paints and Coatings , offset printing , fountain solution , waterpickup