What is waterless printing?

Waterless Printing Technology

Alexami Cosmetics is committed to environment and we choose soy ink print using waterless printing technology on all our packaging and marketing material.

What is waterless printing?

• A planar offset printing process that eliminates the water dampening system

• Uses a water repellent silicone plate over the non-image area

• Requires special inks with higher viscosity and modified or specially constructed printing presses

Advantages of using waterless printing
Quality can be improved

• Paper waste reduced: 8-10% reduction in overall paper waste

• Enhanced productivity

• Environmentally friendly: Total elimination of fountain solutions (contaminated waste water), which can contribute to both water and air pollution

• The interaction of raw materials with water no longer needs to be considered, so that a wider variety of materials can be used, such as vegetable and soy based inks – these are free from petroleum distillate and are even more environmentally friendly

• Allows use of a greater variety of papers – whereas some are too weak to withstand the water in conventional printing, very lightweight papers can be used with waterless inks

• Registration is improved because paper stretch caused by fountain solution is eliminated

• 50% less dot gain (spreading of printed dots) increases clarity and precision

• Greater ink density means better contrast and bolder colours

• Elimination of damping system makes for more consistent colour

• A silicone layer covers the non image area and the silicone is removed from the image area to reveal the ink receptive photopolymer below

• Additions can be made by scribing the silicone surface to reveal the layer beneath, deletions are made by replacing the silicone in areas where it has been removed with liquid silicone

• Plates can give run lengths of up to 600,000 impressions, they are recyclable in the same way as conventional plate material

• The ink used must have higher viscosity so that it is more attracted to itself than the silicone, thereby allowing the silicone to resist wetting by the ink

• The inks have a visibly higher viscosity, higher yield value (structure), lower flow but similar tack compared with conventional inks