SPECIAL FIELDS
ACRYLAC
Gold and silver inks.
(Page 1)
System description
ACRYLAC gold and silver inks represent completely new products, with specific unique properties
for which patents have been granted. With these water-based inks, metallic luster printing of
outstanding brilliancy can be produced in-line using the varnishing unit of an offset press.
ACRYLAC gold and silver inks open up new possibilities for decorative effects on packages and
brochures. They produce a brilliancy and metallic effect far superior to previous offset systems.
The elegance and efficiency of this new process is particularly evident from a total system
comparison with bronzing: gold priming and bronzing require additional steps, creating
workplace and environmental problems associated with metallic pigment dusts, and printed
materials must be stored between individual process steps. ACRYLAC products, on the other
hand, can be processed in-line using the modified varnishing tower of an offset press.
The high brilliancy of ACRYLAC products is achieved by using specially developed metallic
pigments. ACRYLAC Gold is based on powdered brass; ACRYLAC Silver and ACRYLAC
Alu-Gold
contain a variety of aluminum pigments. High-transparency, strongly colored pigments
are used in ACRYLAC Alu-Gold to achieve the golden hue.
Printing characteristics
ACRYLAC gold and silver inks are similar to dispersion varnishes in terms of binder
formulation,
and therefore have similar utilization characteristics. They dry quickly by absorption
or by evaporation of the water component. During the drying process, the specially adjusted
compatibility between binder and metallic pigment gives the pigment an optimum plane-parallel
orientation, yielding the outstanding luster.
Unlike the oxidatively drying binder systems in gold primer inks and offset bronze inks, which
emit a characteristic “offset odor” as they dry, ACRYLAC gold and silver inks are based on
an aqueous binder system. The organoleptic values of these inks, as measured by Robinson
tests, are comparatively low, and the inks are therefore particularly well suited for decorative
effects on food-product and cigarette packages.
ACRYLAC gold and silver inks exhibit good lye penetration on beverage labels. They are not lye-resistant
like other offset inks, since the water-based binder is completely dissolved in the
softening lye. In the case of ACRYLAC Gold this releases the bronze pigment into the lye,
contaminating it with copper and zinc. The aluminum pigments in the ACRYLAC Silver and Alu-Gold
products dissolve in the lye. The color pigments required for the gold effect in ACRYLAC
Alu-Gold are alkali-resistant and therefore entirely insoluble. Because of their extremely small
particle size, however, they are suspended so effectively that the lye looks yellowish.
To improve the tape pull off resistance of ACRYLAC gold and silver inks, we recommend
under printing with offset ink or printing varnish. To improve ink acceptance, an intermediate varnish must be applied before printing onto
ACRYLAC gold and silver inks. Foil inks should be used.
