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It's All About the Ink

Specialty Inks Offer Eye-Catching Options

Ink on paper is the heart of our business. So the quality of the ink we place on the page is serious business. Superior ink helps produce a superior product.

No one understands this better than members of Quad's ink manufacturing division, CR\T (Chemical Research\Technology), where chemists and ink makers have recently added a number of out-of-the-ordinary products to their repertoire. In addition to the offset and gravure inks it produces, CR\T now makes a variety of specialty inks. Some glow in the dark, others stand out and make a statement and others simply cannot be seen.

"In recent years, we've looked at more unconventional products than in the past," said Sunil Rao, CR\T Laboratory & Technical Manager. While some of these new offerings emerged due to client demand, others are the result CR\T's expanding R&D process. Regardless, the efforts have generated a growing line of "boutique" products that are extremely creative and of uncompromised quality.

Metallics and fluorescents
Metallic and fluorescent inks aren't new in the industry. The big news, however, is that CR\T now manufactures them in-house and at a higher level of quality.

"We have the full PMS line for metallics and fluorescents," said Greg Laszewski, CR\T General Manager-Offset. Specialty matches also are available.

The increase in client demand for these products simply confirms the decision to bring production of these products in-house, Greg said, as it gives CR\T more control over the manufacturing process and ultimately, product quality, which are key to superior results on press.

Ready, set, glow
Among CR\T's latest developments is the LumiLith(tm) line of glow-in-the-dark inks. While relatively new, the offset ink is available in blue and green glows and has performed extremely well in the offset environment. As CR\T chemists work to introduce new color offerings, they also celebrate the chemical breakthrough that made glow-in-the-dark possible.

"Until recently, glow-in-the-dark had not been doable in a heatset offset environment," said Terry Gille, CR\T Technical Manager.

It was chemist Terry Clayton who discovered that glow-in-the-dark on offset wasn't impossible, it was merely chemical. After finding the appropriate product (crystals) that would emit light (or glow) when mixed with varnish produced by CR\T experts, Terry tested the product directly on Quad presses. This hands-on testing process led him to the crystal/varnish mixture that had the chemical properties to "stick" on offset and maintain high quality.

The chemical specifics are proprietary, but the principle behind glow-in-the-dark is readily shared. The ink is made up of a special blend of varnish and crystals that release a particular light on the spectrum. Once the ink is on paper, the crystals continue to work, storing up ultra-violet (UV) light much like a battery. The energy that is stored up is released as light. The color of the light depends on the type of crystal used.

Invisible ink
"Invisible ink" may seem like a contradiction of terms, but it serves a purpose. Clients use CR\T's InvisiLith(tm) line as a security measure, where the ink only appears under UV light. "We use it if the client wants something invisible on the page to confirm the piece was offset printed," Terry Clayton said. "It's a security marking that verifies the piece is an original."

Available in blue and yellow/green, InvisiLith ink is quick and easy to produce according to client need.

Quality before novelty
With all CR\T inks, the goal is the same: Provide a superior product. CR\T chemists and managers recognize that while "boutique" inks open up new possibilities for Quad and its clients, quality will always speak louder than novelty.

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