id like to put a question out there to pressman that have been running multicolor sheetfed presses for over 10 years or so... ive noticed over the years that there seems to be a trend towards sheetfed inks being manufactured with less pigment than say 10 to 15 years ago. my theory is that the ink manufacturers in an effort to maximize profits are either using less pigment or weaker pigments to make their inks.. seeing how the pigments are the most costly component of ink, using less pigment would be a double win for the ink manufacturers. they cut cost by using less pigment, then they sell more ink by virtue of us printers having to buy more lbs to arrive at the same color. it seems that as of the last 5 years or so inks are getting weaker and weaker causing us pressman to run thicker ink films. this has resulted in a multitude of problems to include slow drying, more setoff, having to run more water to compensate, ect. ect. i realize that this thread will probably make ink manufacturers very defensive so im putting this out there to see if anyone agrees with me. if youve noticed this trend then please respond. i hope this thread does not get flagged because of the possible influence of the ink industry
tom
oh yea and if you guys have come across a full strenghth ink that performs well on press please either list it in the open forum or drop me a private message