Gravure Ink

Gravure printing is a type of printing that produces a fine, sharp image - usually only used for high quality long run printing jobs. The process of gravure printing is often referred to as Rotogravure. This type of printing is performed with the image being engraved onto what is referred to as an “image carrier”. As a rotary printing press is used for this type of printing, the image is usually engraved on a copper cylinder. These cylinders are high susceptible to scratches and printing companies need to take great care when handling them in order to ensure a flawless print result each and every time. Gravure inks are then used to print the image onto rolls of paper. Sheets of paper are not usually used in the gravure printing process.

The thing about gravure printing is its versatility. The printing presses used for this printing are of some of the fastest and most efficient in the world. You can expect to print anything with a good gravure printing press and good quality gravure inks, from simple labels to meters of vinyl flooring in good time and without much effort involved. The rotogravure printing process and gravure inks are also still used for printing various newspapers, post cards, magazines and even corrugated packaging. The gravure printing process is a popular method in many commercial printing companies due to its high quality end result.

Gravure inks and artwork are supplied in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key) colours. The average gravure printing press has a printing unit for each colour. Rotogravure printing is able to transfer gravure inks to paper quicker and more densely than other printing processes. This makes it a preferred choice in the fine art and photography industries. All gravure inks are fluid and have a low viscosity. Gas fired and electric fired driers are used to for drying the ink used in this particular process. This ensures that no smudging or running occurs when the printed article goes to the next printing process station.

Gravure inks are available in both solvent based and water based options. A pollution control device is used during the gravure drying process as the solvents used can often be harmful to the environment. Most printing companies make use of a solvent vapour incinerator or solvent recovery system to ensure that absorb the solvents. These can then be destroyed or re-used. It is of the utmost importance that only the best quality gravure inks are used during this printing process. New Africa Inks stocks a wide range of the best quality water based and solvent based gravure inks on the market. Contact us today to learn more about our extensive range of screen printing inks, including gravure and nitrocellulose based lamination ink.