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Q&A regarding Teikoku Printing Inks products

  1. How to print with Mirror Silver Ink (MIR 9100 Mirror Silver)


    2. Q01 What is the main difference in features between MIR 9100 Mirror Silver and MIR 8100 Mirror Silver?
    Q02 In what cases should additives be used?
    Q03 What are the resistance test results of MIR 9100 Mirror Silver Ink?
    Q04 Is Mirror Ink patented?

  2. Troubleshooting Printing with Mirror Ink


    3. Q01 How can we increase covering power?
    Q02 Is over-printing required?
    Q03 When drying the print in a line oven it sometimes appears hazy. Why does this occur?
    Q04 How can we dry in a line dryer without getting haze?

  1. How to print with Mirror Silver Ink (MIR 9100 Mirror Silver)


    2. Q01 What is the main difference in features between MIR 9100 Mirror Silver and MIR 8100 Mirror Silver?
    A The differences are in mirror effect, viscosity, adhesion and on-stencil stability. These differences are further explained below.

    Mirror Effect:
    MIR 9100 was designed to have better mirror effect than MIR 8100 Mirror Silver Ink. It has better mirror effect than traditional mirror inks.
    Viscosity:
    MIR 9100 has higher viscosity for printing by ordinary clamshell press. The higher viscosity allows easy printing of fine characters and negative letters.
    Adhesion:
    MIR 9100 ink adheres better than previous Mirror Inks.
    Stability on Stencil:
    MIR 9100 has excellent on-stencil stability. Since it contains a slow drying solvent, there is less evaporation and clogging of the stencil. It can print fine lines and letters consistently.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q02 In what cases should additives be used?
    A It depends on various factors. A case by case explanation follows.
    To Decrease Mirror Effect:
    By adding 0-30% of MIR 9001 Mirror Effect Decreaser, the mirror effect can be adjusted.
    To Improve Adhesion:
    Adding 0-30% MIR 9000 Medium Base will improve adhesion. Use this additive cautiously because the mirror effect will be decreased as the quantity of additive is increased.
    To Increase Covering Power:
    Following countermeasures will help.
    1. Add 2% MS-90 Defoamer. This will allow the ink to flow through the stencil better, increasing the covering power.
    2. Add 5-10% MIR Medium Base. When used in conjunction with the MS-90 Defoamer as in step (1), better covering power will result.
    To Print on a Hard-to-print Substrate:
    Adding 1% of 106 Catalyst will be effective when printing on hard-to-print substrates such as hard coated acrylic resin.
    For Clear Print of Negative Letters and Fine Lines:
    1. Add 2% SM-90 Defoamer
    2. Add 5-10% MIR 9000 Medium Base
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q03 What are the resistance test results of MIR 9100 Mirror Silver Ink?
    A Please refer to the table below.
    The results are only for our lab purposes, we do not guarantee the results.
    Test Item Test method Test results
    (1) Adhesion Crosscut & tape (with Nichiban cellophane tape, 24mm width) 100/100
    (2) Water 24 hours in 25 degree C water No defect
    (3) Hot water 24 hours in 60 degree C hot water No defect
    (4) Hi-temp and moisture 192 hours in 60 degree C and 90%RH No defect
    (5) Heat 168 hours in 80 degree C No defect
    (6) Cold 168 hours in - 20 degree C No defect
    (7) Oil 1 hour in 20 degree C gear oil, check appearance after wiping off the oil. No defect
    (8) Artificial Sweat Apply artificial sweat 2-3 times with gauze, check appearance 2 mins after. No defect
    (9) Ethanol
    (E t OH)    		 Apply ethanol 2-3 times with gauze, check appearance 2 mins after. No defect
    (10) Gasoline Apply gasoline 2-3 times with gauze, check appearance 2 mins after. No defect
    (11) Weather 1,000 hours in Weather-O-meter and 1,000 hours in Fade meter No defect
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q04 Is Mirror Ink patented?
    A Yes it is patented. (Japanese Patent Registered Number 3151606)
    The patent covers the manufacturing method of Mirror Ink, making prints with Mirror ink and making prints with similar ink.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919


  2. Troubleshooting Printing with Mirror Ink


    3. Q01 How can we increase covering power?
    A Use squeegee with 70 degree hardness and rather high printing pressure. When printing with Mirror Ink, the covering power may not be as good as what is shown in print samples. An effective measure to increase covering power is to use a harder squeegee. As the Mirror Ink has less resin in it, ink transfer to the substrate is rather lighter than with ordinary screen inks.
    Therefore changing printing conditions is sometimes effective.

    * Recommended printing conditions are as follows
    Squeegee hardness should be 70 degrees. / Printing pressure should be slightly higher. / Doctor pressure should be slightly higher as well.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q02 Is over-printing required?
    A Yes. Over-printing is necessary not only to improve scratch resistance but also to improve resistance to other elements. As Mirror Ink is affected by moisture, the aluminum layer might change the color if not over-printed.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q03 When drying the print in a line oven it sometimes appears hazy. Why does this occur?
    A Upon further investigation with the customer, the printing conditions that caused this hazy appearance were discovered to be as follows. Mirror Ink was printed with a cylinder press and dried in a line dryer at a high temperature, thus the resultant hazy effect. The reason being: the initial drying at a high temperature. The recommended drying condition is 30 minutes at 80 degrees C, but in this case the line dryer was used for 2 minutes at 100 degrees C. When the substrate was dried at this high temperature with a great deal of solvent on it, the substrate was affected adversely and turned white.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919
    Q04 How can we dry in a line dryer without getting haze?
    A You may avoid the hazy effect with following countermeasures:
    1. Lower the temperature of the line dryer. (lower than 80 degrees C)
    2. If the line dryer has several drying sections, set the temperature at the entrance section as low as 40-60 degrees C and evaporate the solvent as much as possible (preferably 80-90%).
    3. Then the printed matter can be dried at 80-100 degrees C and evaporate the solvent completely. This should result in a good mirror effect.
     

    Contact

    Teikoku Printing Inks Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Operating Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (except Sat, Sun & Holidays)
    Tel +81-3-3800-9911
    Fax +81-3-3800-9919