Abstract

Inkjet printing is best suited to the short run printing jobs with additional capabilities to print variable data and personalization. The printing industry has been rapidly evolving and moving towards post-print processes that require faster ink drying times, resulting in reduced product release time. The surface characteristics of the paper have a significant impact on runnability and final printing quality. Runnability is an important aspect of the substrate which influences the consistency in print and economies of the press. This study aims to investigate the influence of different paper substrate surface properties on ink drying ability and runnability in inkjet printing machines. The porosity, roughness, gloss, and Cobb value of three types of papers, uncoated, matt-coated, and gloss-coated, were evaluated. Gloss-coated paper had the lowest porosity, while uncoated paper had the highest. Roughness was the highest in uncoated paper and decreased in coated paper stocks. The gloss value increased from uncoated paper to gloss-coated paper. The Cobb value was lowest in matt-coated paper and highest in uncoated paper. Ink drying ability was influenced by press room conditions, machine speed, and colour saturation. No ink drying problem was detected in uncoated and matt-coated papers, while some gloss-coated papers exhibited slight set-off.

Keywords: Inkjet, Drop-On-Demand, Piezoelectric Inkjet, Thermal Inkjet, Gloss coated, Matt coated, Substrate