Printing Inks, Coatings & Functional Additives
Select printing inks and functional coatings by substrate, printing process, binder/carrier technology and drying or cure evidence. Qualify additives, appearance and resistance in the complete converted article.
General technical information published by PAXOMER Inc. to support preliminary material evaluation. It is compiled from the sources cited on this page and has not been independently reviewed or certified by a professional engineer, laboratory or certification body. Values marked typical, illustrative or requiring confirmation are not specifications. Confirm properties, standard editions, regulatory status and suitability for your specific application with the manufacturer and, where the use is regulated or safety-related, with a qualified professional or the relevant authority.
1. Quick answer
Select printing inks and functional coatings by substrate, printing process, binder/carrier technology and drying or cure evidence. Qualify additives, appearance and resistance in the complete converted article.
2. What does this material system do in an industrial application?
Printing inks and coatings are formulated systems selected for a printing or coating process, a specific substrate and the finished article's service requirements. Colour is only one acceptance criterion: transfer, drying or cure, adhesion and resistance must also work together. This parent guide explains complete-system selection. Existing additive, silicone-wetting and adhesive guides remain specialist resources rather than being rewritten. No ink grade, coating formulation or end-use approval is established by this page.
3. What do the product names and technical terms mean?
Ink generally provides an image or colour; a coating provides a specified surface or functional layer, although a construction can serve both purposes. A binder forms the matrix, pigments or dyes provide colour functions, and a carrier or reactive component supports application and film formation. Overprint varnish, primer and protective topcoat identify different layer roles. State the complete layer order and which face is printed rather than relying on the word compatible.
4. What product types and classifications are available?
Classify products independently by application process and setting mechanism. Flexographic, gravure, offset, screen and digital printing impose different transfer and equipment demands. Waterborne, solventborne and energy-curable describe different formulation or conversion routes, not interchangeable grades. UV, UV-LED and electron-beam equipment also require specific compatibility. Surface printing differs from reverse printing inside a laminate. A candidate for one route requires separate evidence before use in another.
5. How does material composition affect performance?
Formulations may combine binders, colourants, carriers, reactive components and functional additives. Binder families can include acrylic, polyurethane, polyester or other resins chosen for the specified chemistry and process; the exact supplier formulation controls suitability. Pigment identity, surface treatment and dispersion affect the formulated system. Distinguish volatile carrier from reactive diluent: evaporation and reaction are different processes. Do not infer composition, migration behaviour or final resistance from a colour name or generic resin label.
6. How is the material manufactured and converted?
Manufacture can involve controlled raw-material incorporation, pigment dispersion, let-down, filtration and batch adjustment. A supplier should identify which operations and consistency checks apply to the supplied product. Printing then adds transfer, drying or cure, winding and possibly coating or lamination. The press-ready condition may differ from the delivered condition. Record permitted adjustment materials and practices; unapproved thinning or additive addition changes the qualified formulation and can invalidate the original trial evidence.
7. Which technical properties affect application performance?
Evaluate viscosity or rheology under stated conditions, colour strength and shade, dispersion quality, application solids where relevant, drying/cure response, adhesion, gloss and resistance. Values require a method, substrate, film amount and conditioning basis. A viscosity-cup time is incomplete without cup identity and temperature. A dry surface is not proof of complete cure, carrier removal or suitability for the packaged product. Separate immediate handling from final performance acceptance.
8. Which grades, dimensions and specifications should buyers compare?
An ink or coating specification should identify exact grade, colour reference, application route, substrate, layer position, target application amount and acceptance methods. Include delivery and press-ready conditions, permitted adjustments, storage and traceability. For waterborne systems, specify pH control only where the formulation requires it and use supplier-defined limits. For reactive systems, request equipment and cure-window requirements. No universal viscosity, pH, solvent blend, pigment loading or irradiation dose is prescribed here.
9. Where is this material used in industry?
Applications include flexible packaging, labels, paper and board, industrial decoration and functional surface layers. Sun Chemical describes solvent/waterborne and energy-curable routes across film and narrow-web printing, illustrating that the process must be matched to the product. Printing on an exterior surface differs from a laminate's internal layer. An ink intended for decoration is not automatically a barrier, sealant or adhesive, and a functional-coating claim needs a defined test and end-use construction.
10. Which requirements depend on the intended application?
For film, identify polymer, treatment history, print face and subsequent lamination or sealing. For paper, assess absorption, surface condition and drying response. For metal or rigid plastics, specify pretreatment and intended service exposure. For digital inkjet, require printhead-specific evidence; a colour or binder match does not establish jetting compatibility. Include winding pressure, handling, rubbing, heat and chemical exposure where relevant to the actual printed product.
11. How should buyers select a material for their process?
Start with substrate and process, then define appearance, performance and downstream requirements. Select an exact candidate and agree delivered and press-ready conditions. Run matched drawdowns or prints followed by a representative press trial. Test the completed construction after the relevant drying, cure and ageing period. Define a repeatable operating window rather than approving one attractive sample. Record any change needed in preparation, equipment or downstream conversion before releasing the product.
12. What performance advantages can the material offer?
A qualified system can provide repeatable colour, decoration, protection or a specified surface function. Additives can help tailor dispersion, wetting, foam behaviour or flow within that system. Benefits depend on application and compatibility: improved surface slip may not suit a later bonding operation. Compare measured finished-product results and accepted output rather than assuming that changing carrier technology or adding a multifunctional additive improves every requirement.
13. What limitations should buyers evaluate?
Performance can be limited by poor wetting, contamination, incomplete drying/cure, unsuitable layer interactions or service exposure. A waterborne description does not mean solvent-free or hazard-free. An energy-curable description does not prove full conversion or food-contact suitability. High gloss does not establish adhesion, and a solvent-rub result does not establish migration safety. Review the exact construction and the supplier's restrictions instead of treating one attractive property as overall approval.
14. What problems can occur during manufacturing?
Typical observations include pinholes, craters, foam, colour drift, settling, poor transfer, blocking, rub-off and adhesion loss. Capture when the defect first appears: in the liquid, during transfer, after drying/cure, during winding or after downstream conversion. Record lot, substrate, press conditions, permitted adjustments and elapsed time. Similar-looking defects can have different causes. Do not select a defoamer, wetting agent or stronger binder solely from a photograph.
15. How should manufacturers investigate and correct process problems?
For colour drift, compare mixing, dispersion, application amount and measurement conditions before changing pigment. For poor adhesion, inspect surface identity and condition, drying/cure and downstream layers. For blocking, evaluate residual carrier or cure state, temperature, winding and coating interaction. For pinholes, distinguish entrained gas from wetting or substrate defects. Use controlled changes and retained samples; do not improvise solvents, additive doses or irradiation settings outside the supplier's approved instructions.
| Defect | Investigate | Release evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Colour drift | Dispersion, transfer amount, mixing and measurement | Repeatable colour under agreed conditions |
| Poor adhesion | Substrate, preparation, drying/cure and layer interaction | Applicable adhesion and aged-construction tests |
| Blocking | Film state, temperature, winding and surface interaction | Representative winding/storage trial |
| Pinholes/craters | Gas, wetting, contamination and substrate | Validated cause and controlled correction |
16. How should competing material options be compared?
Alternatives include another grade within the same process, a different carrier/cure route, an overprint coating or a revised layer construction. Changing from solventborne to waterborne can require different drying, substrate and press controls. UV-LED compatibility cannot be inferred from a conventional UV label. A primer may address one interface but adds another material and validation step. Compare the complete converted article and the equipment changes, not only liquid price or initial print appearance.
17. Which differences matter when comparing technical data?
The comparison table separates product technologies from the evidence needed for approval. These are qualification questions, not rankings or universal performance claims. The diagnostic table links observed defects to investigations without claiming a confirmed cause.
| System | Main qualification question | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Waterborne | Can the substrate/process deliver required drying and resistance? | Actual print, conditioning and final-use tests |
| Solventborne | Are transfer, carrier removal and downstream layers controlled? | Approved press window and converted-construction evaluation |
| UV / UV-LED | Does the formulation match the installed curing equipment? | Supplier-defined equipment/cure trial and final properties |
| EB-curable | Does the grade match the specific equipment and construction? | Qualified energy-curing process and intended-use review |
| Functional additive | Does the targeted benefit preserve other requirements? | Controlled formulation trial including downstream compatibility |
18. Which standards apply to the intended use?
ASTM D3359 provides a tape-based adhesion rating for coatings within its applicable scope. D523 concerns specular gloss; D5402 concerns solvent-rub resistance of organic coatings. They measure different aspects and do not certify an entire ink system. Thin flexible films or unusual constructions may require other validated methods. Confirm specimen suitability, edition, conditioning and acceptance limits with the laboratory. Public method descriptions were checked; licensed procedures and numeric pass/fail values were not reviewed.
19. Which tests and quality controls support qualification?
Use defined sampling, retained reference materials and traceability from liquid batch to printed production lot. Agree colour measurement and viewing conditions, viscosity preparation, dispersion checks and relevant adhesion or resistance tests. Evaluate the final laminate or coated article where conversion changes performance. Establish when tests occur relative to drying or cure. A liquid COA and a visually acceptable print support control but do not replace the complete application qualification.
20. Which materials and equipment require compatibility checks?
Check ink or coating compatibility with substrate treatment, primer, printing plates or cylinders, rollers, seals, filtration, cleaners and later adhesive or coating layers. Separate wetting of the substrate from stabilisation of pigment particles. BYK describes dispersants and surface/foam additives as different functional tools. Silicone surface effects require downstream print, recoat and bonding evaluation. UV cure equipment and reactive formulation must be matched; confirm the lamp or LED conditions with the formulator rather than assuming all radiation-curable products share one window.
21. How should the material be stored and handled?
Follow the exact product's storage, handling, mixing and shelf-life instructions. Retain batch identity after opening or permitted press adjustment. Protect products from inappropriate contamination, evaporation or unintended reactive exposure according to the supplier's guidance. Review returned press material before mixing it into new stock. Obtain written instructions for age, settling or temperature excursions. No universal storage temperature, shelf life or restoration procedure is established by the chemistry class alone.
22. Which environmental and regulatory claims need verification?
Review the current SDS, emission and waste implications of the exact formulation and process. Food-packaging assessment must consider the printed construction, intended use, drying/cure and possible transfer pathways; a low-migration label is not final-package approval. EuPIA provides industry guidance for risk management and supply-chain information, not blanket Canadian or US authorisation. Verify destination-specific requirements separately. Recycled content, deinking and recyclability are distinct claims requiring evidence for the actual packaging and recovery route.
23. What determines consumption and total production cost?
Compare total cost per accepted printed or coated area. Include material consumption at the specified colour or coverage, setup and wash-up waste, press speed, drying/cure energy, rejected product and downstream losses. Normalize quotations to delivered solids or application yield where appropriate, while recording the calculation basis. A cheaper liquid can require more material or reduce line stability. Do not infer lower environmental impact or lower total cost from carrier type alone.
24. Which industrial market requirements shape the purchase?
Buyers include printers, converters, coaters, formulators and manufacturers approving the final article. Determine who controls colour standards, press practices, packaging construction and end-use approval. Separate the purchase of formulated ink from pigment, binder or additive procurement. Listed applications describe qualification contexts and do not establish PAXOMER stock, manufacturer appointments, approved grades or existing customer programmes.
25. Which technology and market developments need current evidence?
Development topics include LED-compatible curing, formulation consistency, improved printability and recovery-compatible packaging systems. Manufacturer examples should be evaluated for their exact product, equipment and substrate scope. allnex literature identifies oxygen inhibition as a consideration for relevant UV systems; it is not a diagnosis of every tacky surface. No cure-booster recipe, universal cure mechanism, market-growth rate or environmental saving is asserted here.
26. What should North American industrial buyers verify?
For Canadian and US plants, agree units, colour standards, test conditions, destination and intended use before comparing proposals. A grade accepted on one press or packaging construction may need separate review on another. Establish local technical support and traceable current TDS/SDS information. Food-contact, workplace, emissions and product claims require application-specific review; a European industry guidance reference is not automatic North American compliance evidence.
27. How should an international manufacturer be qualified?
Identify the ink/coating formulator, manufacturing plant and any repacking, colour-matching or subcontracting site. Request batch consistency, retained samples, formulation-change notification and technical support for press trials. Clarify who approves press adjustments and provides information for intended-use assessment. A laboratory sample must represent repeat supply. Educational manufacturer citations do not establish commercial representation or certification of PAXOMER products.
28. What information belongs in a technical purchasing checklist?
Provide substrate and treatment history, press/coater, printing method, print face, layer order, drying/cure equipment, appearance target and downstream conversion. Include current product, failure history, service conditions and end-use restrictions. Request exact grades, approved adjustments, TDS/SDS, test basis, documentation and a controlled trial plan. Agree acceptance at liquid, print and final-construction stages, plus packaging, lead time, traceability and change notification.
29. Which practical buyer questions should be resolved?
The FAQs below separate product technologies, process controls and evidence for the finished article. They support a technical inquiry and avoid treating generic ink descriptions or single test results as an approval.
30. Which vocabulary and related resources help specify the material?
Binder means the film-forming matrix. Dispersion concerns distribution and stabilisation of particles; substrate wetting concerns contact with the receiving surface. Let-down is a formulation stage after dispersion where applicable. Blocking is unwanted sticking of contacting printed/coated surfaces. OPV means overprint varnish; UV means ultraviolet and EB means electron beam. Cure and carrier drying are different concepts. Related specialist guides retain their narrower additive, silicone-surface and adhesive coverage. Source links below support limited claim areas; the final application remains subject to review.
S19-1 — Water/solvent and energy-curable film ink examples (opens in a new tab)
S19-2 — Narrow-web UV/LED technology examples (opens in a new tab)
S19-3 — Pigment distribution/stabilisation function (opens in a new tab)
S19-4 — Surface, foam and abrasion additive functions across systems (opens in a new tab)
S19-5 — D3359 public scope (opens in a new tab)
S19-6 — D523 public scope (opens in a new tab)
S19-7 — D5402 public scope; linked dated edition not asserted contractual (opens in a new tab)
S19-8 — Food-contact ink GMP/information guidance scope (opens in a new tab)
31. What should a technical enquiry include?
Send the full print/coating construction and the technical problem through the Solution Finder or inquiry form. PAXOMER supports Technical Supply, Manufacturer Development and North American Market Development. The next milestone is an exact-grade proposal, agreed press or coater trial and documented finished-article review. Confirm technical suitability, intended-use evidence and commercial capability separately before repeat supply. Technical and regulatory acceptance is confirmed separately for each application.
32. Why can flexographic feathering require more than a viscosity adjustment?
Several process causes can produce a similar print defect. Sun Chemical identifies excessive impression, overly fast drying, stray air, high viscosity and substrate dust or lint among possible contributors to dirty print or feathering. Diagnose the observed defect against the actual press conditions instead of treating its appearance as proof that one ingredient is missing. Formula changes should follow the ink supplier’s instructions.
33. How can a converter make a troubleshooting trial interpretable?
Record an approved reference print and the defective print under the same inspection conditions. Keep the substrate lot, ink identity, press speed and relevant transfer and drying settings with both samples. Change one diagnosed factor at a time where safe, then compare the result against the agreed print and finished-package criteria. This is a proposed trial discipline, not a manufacturer-specific operating recipe.
34. Which manufacturer references inform these additional checks?
Sun Chemical: flexographic dirty print and feathering (opens in a new tab)
Sun Chemical: gravure troubleshooting categories (opens in a new tab)
35. How can mass solids and wet coat weight be used without confusing drying with cure?
For a simple nonreactive coating that loses only volatile carrier, an illustrative 4 g/m² wet deposit at 40% mass nonvolatile content corresponds to 1.6 g/m² retained nonvolatile material before other losses: 4 × 0.40. This mass balance does not calculate film thickness without density and construction information. It also does not establish cure conversion, adhesion, residual solvent or food-contact suitability. Energy-curable and other reactive systems require their own conversion and film-property evidence; do not substitute a nonvolatile-content calculation for those tests.
| Illustrative input or result | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Applied wet coating | 4 g/m² | Measured wet mass per coated area |
| Mass nonvolatile fraction | 0.40 | Mass fraction, not volume solids |
| Calculated retained mass | 1.6 g/m² | 4 × 0.40; simplified carrier-loss model |
36. How should this example affect the actual purchasing decision?
Record whether solids are reported by mass or volume and whether the test procedure applies to the formulation. Compare measured coating deposits with this simplified balance before interpreting an apparent consumption change. A darker print or better coverage may reflect substrate, transfer or layer changes rather than improved efficiency. Sun Chemical identifies substrate roughness/porosity and ink-film thickness among coverage considerations. Agree the optical, drying/cure and finished-print tests before reducing deposited material.
37. Which sources support the material distinctions in this example?
Sun Chemical: poor ink coverage (opens in a new tab)
Sun Chemical: energy-curable ink curing investigations (opens in a new tab)
38. Which definitions help interpret this calculation or trial?
Mass fraction — definition and measurement context
Coat-weight uniformity — definition and measurement context
39. How can an ink problem be traced through printing, drying and conversion?
Retain printed samples before and after each relevant operation. Record substrate treatment, ink identity, application and drying or curing conditions. Check whether a defect is already present at print or appears during winding, lamination or forming. Surface dryness does not establish complete cure, and adhesion on one substrate lot does not approve an untested surface treatment.
40. Frequently asked questions
Are waterborne inks solvent-free?
Not automatically. Obtain the actual composition/claim basis and current product documentation.
Can I use a UV ink on any UV-LED press?
No. Confirm the exact grade and installed equipment/cure conditions with the supplier.
Does dry-to-touch mean fully cured?
No. Drying, cure conversion, handling and final properties require distinct acceptance criteria.
Is a pigment dispersant the same as a substrate wetting agent?
No. They address different interfaces/functions; qualify the actual formulation and surface.
Will silicone additive always improve printability?
No. Evaluate wetting and surface benefits together with recoating, printing and bonding compatibility.
Does a tape adhesion rating approve flexible packaging?
No. Confirm method suitability and validate the complete construction and its intended use.
Does a solvent-rub test establish food-contact safety?
No. It assesses a specified resistance behaviour; migration and intended-use assessment are separate.
Can I compare viscosity-cup times without temperature?
No. State cup, temperature, preparation and other relevant conditions.
Does low migration mean the finished pack is approved?
No. Assess the exact printed construction, process, use and applicable jurisdiction with supporting documentation.
What belongs in a printing-ink RFQ?
Substrate, print face/layers, press, drying/cure equipment, appearance, downstream conversion, service requirements and test plan.
Does feathering prove the ink viscosity is too high?
No. It is one possible contributor among several process and material causes. Check the complete defect history before changing the formulation.
Should an operator add a slower solvent whenever a flexographic print is dirty?
No. First establish that premature drying is the cause and that the exact ink system permits the proposed adjustment. Follow supplier instructions and the site’s operating controls.
What evidence helps separate ink and press causes?
Compare a known acceptable reference with the defect while retaining ink and substrate identities and the relevant press settings. The comparison supports diagnosis; it does not independently approve the final printed article.
Are mass solids and volume solids interchangeable?
No. They have different denominators. Density and formulation information are needed to relate them; do not put one percentage into the other calculation.
Does 1.6 g/m² calculated retained mass prove a dry film is fully cured?
No. It is an illustrative mass balance, not a reaction-conversion or final-performance measurement.
Can ink consumption be reduced solely by lowering coat weight?
Only if the approved print and finished-article requirements are still met. Check coverage, optical properties, adhesion and the relevant drying or cure criteria.
Is a dry-to-touch print automatically ready for all downstream conversion?
No. Verify the ink system's required drying or cure and the relevant downstream tests.
41. References
Links inside sections are supplier or standards-body context for the statements they accompany.
Last revised 2026-10-27.
Related guides
- Specialty Coating Additives: Dispersion, Flow & Application
- Silicone Wetting & Surface-Control Additives
- PFAS-Free Coating Additives
- Industrial Adhesives & Glues
- Solvent-Free Lamination Adhesives
Explore further
Product and material pages
Material card: Printing Inks, Coatings & Functional Additives (listed in Products & Solutions).
Glossary terms
Binder · Pigment dispersion · Overprint varnish · Blocking · Let-down · Energy-curable ink · Corona treatment · Coat-weight uniformity · Mass fraction
Tools
Product Finder · Solution Finder (Poor coating or ink adhesion) · Manufacturer Finder · RFQ brief