Gravure ink refers to the ink used in gravure printing of various substrates. It is divided into paper gravure ink and plastic gravure ink. In the plastic gravure ink, there are two types of surface printing gravure ink and ink printing composite ink.
        Plastic gravure ink is generally used for printing PE, PP, OPP, NY and other plastic film inks, but it can also be printed in composite flexible packaging. As long as there is no large color block on the printing layout, the composite odor and fastness are still basic. Yes. The plastic gravure printing ink is mainly made of a binder, a polyamide resin, and a pigment and an auxiliary agent. The softening point of the polyamide resin is controlled at 121 degrees, otherwise the printing adhesion may occur during printing in the mildew season due to the low softening point of the resin. The high softening point of the resin will freeze when used in winter, and it is necessary to heat the mixture to dissolve it. The dilution solvent of the plastic gravure printing ink is toluene, isopropanol, xylene, butanol and the like. Some ester solvents can also be added at appropriate times to adjust the viscosity of the ink. Toluene and isopropanol are quick-drying solvents. Xylene, butanol is a slow dry solvent. When using butanol, be careful, if the ink dries too fast, causing loss of graphic network, proper addition of butanol makes the ink reproducible, small characters and dots are clear, but adding more will cause the ink to dry, especially in the mildew season. There will be print adhesion and anti-sticking.
        Ink in the plastic gravure, also known as composite ink, refers to the ink printed on the substrate. The binder of this ink is mainly a chlorinated polypropylene resin, which has high adhesion to printed OPP, PET, NY and the like. After compounding, the black ink is sandwiched in the inner layer and is the ink for printing high-grade plastic soft bags. The main solvents for its dilution are toluene, ethyl ketone, methyl ethyl ketone and ethyl acetate. Methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, ethyl acetate quick-drying solvent, butanone is a slow-drying solvent. This type of ink should not be added to the alcohol solvent, otherwise the ink will deteriorate. Pay attention when using plastic gravure composite inks, because ink manufacturers have the distinction between high-speed machine fast-drying ink and low-speed machine drying ink when designing ink. The printing speed should be determined by the rotation speed of the gravure printing machine. Otherwise, the rotation speed of the gravure printing machine is slow, the ink is dry in the pit of the gravure dot; the printing speed of the gravure printing machine is not dry.
       For retort-resistant plastic flexible packaging or printed aluminum foil, it is necessary to select a two-component gravure ink resistant to cooking and an ink for aluminum foil. Otherwise, the cooking resistance will not be achieved, and the ink in the inner layer after the compounding will be dilute, discolored, and the image is unclear. High temperature resistant materials and retort resistant two-component composites are also required for the production of retort resistant bags. The surface tension of plastic gravure ink is generally 36 dynes, while the surface tension of PE and OPP is generally only about 32 dynes. This requires that the film undergo corona treatment during gravure printing, destroying the molecular structure of the plastic surface and improving the film. The surface tension is such that it reaches 38 dynes or more, so that the ink and the film are adhesively adhered to each other, and the ink can be removed by hand rubbing and adhesive tape to achieve the printing quality requirement.
         Plastic gravure inks have a role in the ozone layer in the production of chlorinated polymers. In the gravure printing, a large amount of toluene is used to dissolve and adjust the viscosity of the ink, which is harmful to the health and safety of workers, which requires the ink manufacturer to develop low as soon as possible. A toxic, non-toxic alcohol soluble and water soluble gravure plastic printing ink. We use plastic flexo inks in the production of paper-plastic composite coils (for users to self-package drugs, tea bags, etc.) and in the production of liquid packaging film coils. The ink is alcohol-soluble, and the added solvent is an alcohol and an ester, and has low toxicity, and is odorless and benzene-free. In short, the selection and application of plastic gravure printing inks depends on many factors such as the performance of different gravure printing machines and the proficiency of operators. Know what material is printed, what is the speed of the gravure press, how dry the ink is, whether the printed color matches the original, whether the post-press processing meets the requirements and the end product's use. Different inks should be used for different specifications and different plastic flexible bags (films). Only the selection of the right inks and materials, coupled with careful operation, can produce beautiful plastic printing products.

        First, the digital printing equipment and consumables used in China, including digital printing equipment and consumables for label printing, basically rely on imports, the price of products in developed countries plus the tariffs after entering the Chinese market, resulting in production costs. The high price, and this part of the cost will eventually be passed on to consumers.
        However, there is an objective contradiction in the market. It is obvious that the high cost of production requires a large amount of consumption to be diluted, but the high cost just restricts consumption and affects the growth of quantity. This phenomenon is not only happening in the personalized label market, but an inevitable process that all new processes have to be widely used in the market. Personalized labels can not escape this “magic”. From the history of CTP promotion in China, the break of this situation can only rely on the localization of these equipment and consumables.
        Second, in China, the trend of personalization of goods has only just started, even though Coca-Cola has been put into practical marketing applications, it still belongs to the market test nature. If the life cycle of a product is divided into four stages: promotion period, growth period, maturity period and recession period, then the new favorite of the personalized label is still in the promotion period, not to mention that the label itself is only a means to enhance the color of the product. , not goods that consumers can enjoy directly.
        The use of digital printing equipment to print personalized labels is still a market to be cultivated and developed. It is still necessary to select a digital printing method to make labels to grow and mature until it is completely accepted by the market and selected by the terminal products. In the future, with the improvement of people's living standards, the use of personalized labels should increase.
        While affirming that digital printing already meets the needs of label printing, we also need to point out that although all digital equipment suppliers believe that the equipment they have introduced to the market has met the market demand, objectively speaking, the quality standards for offset printing To measure the products currently completed with digital printing equipment, it should be said that there is still a gap. Because digital printing equipment has not been launched for a long time, there is a need for a process of gradual improvement and improvement through practice. Suppliers must work hard to reduce costs and help products increase market competitiveness.
        In short, digital printing equipment has begun to enter the field of label printing, but it will take some time for digital printing equipment to be widely used in the label printing market. Ensuring that market needs and profitability are the pursuit of the company, we should not be too hasty before we reach the balance between the two.

        The proportion of digital printing in the commercial printing market is determined by the cost performance of the product. The proportion of digital printing in the field of label printing also depends on the price/performance ratio of the product. The cost of using traditional printing for bulk products is lower, while the cost of using digital printing for personalized products is relatively low. Therefore, the key to expanding the application of digital printing in the field of labels is the expansion of the personalized label market.
        Intrinsic motivation: a wide variety of product needs
        Consumers are always the mainstay of the market. In order to occupy the market, suppliers must constantly consider the needs and mentality of consumers and develop products that meet market demands. The transition from commodity popularization and materialization to the product individualization and diversification in the era of relatively abundant materials is the current market demand.
Ma Yun, one of the leaders of China's IT industry, pointed out that “the era of standardization and scale has passed”, “large-scale, flexible, and personalized customization is the trend of manufacturing industry”. “For enterprises, they are unwilling to Consumer customization is dead. In the future, if you want to survive, you have to change yourself for consumers."
        In such a new era, the use of digital printing equipment to print labels is precisely the best choice to meet the market's individualized and diversified needs. Because digital printing equipment is suitable for on-demand production, it can effectively reduce the cost of products that are personalized and diversified.
        No matter what market, the demand of consumers always promotes the continuous improvement of manufacturers, in order to bring about corresponding market changes. As the advancement of the times has allowed people to more publicize their individuality, when the development of society has made it possible to meet this individualized demand, the number of products like Coca-Cola personalized labeling will certainly continue to grow.

         After years of continuous development, digital printing has been in the field of books and commercial printing since its inception, and has entered the field of labeling and packaging printing. Although the current market share is still very low, but after all, it has been in the substantive "entering" stage, and there are many varieties of digital printing equipment that can bear label printing. The format is large and small, and the speed is also high and low.
        External protection: increasingly sophisticated digital printing equipment
        In essence, label printing is also part of the commercial printing market, but in view of the clear scope of use of labels, it is generally used for product identification, or hanging on clothes, umbrellas, etc., or in packaging of alcohol, medicines, etc. Over time, label printing has been listed from ordinary commercial printing, becoming a relatively independent business.
        Before digital printing enters the field of self-adhesive label printing, self-adhesive labels are usually produced by embossing, offset or flexo printing (and a small number of hangtags are screen printed for the touch). Along with the development of digital printing technology, the hybrid printing method combining traditional printing and digital printing began to appear. Generally, the basic printing with the same layout requirement is completed first by traditional printing, and then the digital specifications are used to reflect the product specifications, dimensions, models and other information. Classified printing. Such a printing method not only satisfies the needs of the market, but also effectively reduces the production cost by using a computer to complete a process such as a group version. However, the use of hybrid printing in label printing has been quite a long time. The digital printing is now applied to label printing, which means that the entire label is completely digitally printed.
        In a nutshell, digital printing equipment is no longer an obstacle to the production of digital printing technology by label printing companies.

While talking about the self-adhesive label printing process, we must also understand the basic structure of the self-adhesive material as a printing material and the function of each part. The structure of the self-adhesive material is composed of three parts, namely surface material, adhesive and base paper, but from the perspective of manufacturing process and quality assurance, the self-adhesive material consists of seven parts:
1, surface coating
Used to change the surface characteristics of the facestock. Such as improving the surface tension, changing the color, adding a protective layer, etc., to better accept the ink and easy to print, to prevent dirt, increase the adhesion of the ink and prevent the printed graphics from falling off. Surface coating is mainly used for non-absorbent materials such as aluminum foil, aluminized paper and various film materials.
2, face material
That is, the surface material is a material that receives the printed image on the front side and the adhesive on the back side and is finally applied to the object to be pasted.
In general, all flexible materials can be used as self-adhesive materials, such as commonly used paper, film, composite foil, all kinds of textiles, thin metal sheets and rubber. The type of facestock depends on the final application and the printing process. The face material should be able to adapt to printing and printing, have good ink repellency, and have sufficient strength to accept various processing such as die cutting, waste discharge, slitting, punching and labeling.
3, the bottom layer
Like the surface coating, it is only applied to the back side of the face material. The main purpose of the primer layer is to:
(1) Protect the surface material from penetration of the adhesive.
(2) increase the opacity of the fabric;
(3) increase the adhesion between the adhesive and the face material;
(4) Prevent the plasticizer in the plastic surface material from penetrating into the adhesive, affecting the performance of the adhesive, resulting in a decrease in the adhesive force of the label and a peeling of the label.
4, the adhesive
The adhesive is the medium between the label material and the bonded substrate and acts as a bond. According to its characteristics, it can be divided into two types: permanent and removable. It is available in a variety of formulations for different facets and different occasions. Adhesives are the most important component in the technology of self-adhesive materials and are the key to label application technology.
5, release coating (silicon coating) is to apply a layer of silicone oil on the surface of the paper, the application of silicone oil can make the paper a very low surface tension, very smooth surface, the role is to prevent the adhesive bond on the bottom paper on.
6, the bottom paper
The role of the backing paper is to accept the release agent, protect the adhesive on the back side of the facestock, and support the facestock to enable die cutting, waste disposal, and labeling on the labeling machine.
7, back or back printing
The back coating is a protective coating on the back side of the backing paper to prevent waste, and the adhesive around the re-rolled label is bonded to the bottom paper. Another role is to make multi-layer labels. The back printing function is to print the manufacturer's registered trademark or pattern on the back of the backing paper for publicity and anti-counterfeiting.