Abstract
Lithography like off-set printing is processed using the repellent properties between water and oil, so all inks for off-printing must work with dampening solution(water). The dampening water may cause the emulsification of ink by the printing pressure in the printing nip. This study aimed to investigate the effect of emulsified inks on print mottle. The cyan ink was emulsified artificially with the different IPA(isopropyl alcohol) content in this study. We evaluated the print mottle by densitometer and image analysis method. The print mottle phenomenon was directly affected by IPA content. The emulsification of inks also had an influence on flow properties of inks and it increased ink transfer rate. It, however, caused low ink density. Moreover the emulsified inks were spreaded to around dots and cause the thinning density on the non-printing area like print mottle. The trial printing showed that the emulsified inks also cause scumming on the printing result with little mistake of adjusting dampening solution and mostly decreasing dot reproduction. We could, therefore, find out the obvious effect of emulsified inks on print mottle.
