David Savastano, Editor05.20.19
Resins are critical to the functionality of an ink. They impart many of the important characteristics of a finished ink, including gloss and adhesion, can help the ink run well on the press, and can also help disperse pigment.
Lisa Fine of Ink Systems Inc. noted that the polymers used in formulating inks have several key functions, depending on the nature of the resin/polymer itself.
“For instance, solution polymers of a suitable molecular weight and functionality are useful for dispersing pigment and stabilizing the dispersions thus produced,” Fine observed. “Once ink is made, it relies on its resins to provide good ink transfer through the press, gloss, adhesion to the substrate, flexibility, scratch resistance, and chemical resistance. Note that unlike other inks, water-based inks have two important forms that are necessary to attain all of the foregoing properties: solution resins and emulsion resins. The solution resins provide pigment dispersibility and in
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