February 2010 -- DEAR BRAD
TECHNICAL SUPPORT & ADVICE for those who PRINT

A monthly column from Printing Industries of America's senior research technician, Brad Evans

One of the benefits of membership is the technical expertise provided by Printing Industries of America. Each month, Brad Evans, Printing Industries’ senior research technician, discusses common production problems and issues. Evans has twenty-five years of experience in the industry and regularly consults on paper and ink interactions. He is frequently called upon as the contributing paper and ink specialist for industry publications and has served as an expert witness in court on issues related to paper and ink.

Dear Brad:

Q: What is transactional printing?

A: It is the production of a large volume of documents from data and information in a database using systems that dynamically merge data with electronic forms. These include statements, invoices, checks, and specific policies.

Q: What is thermal wax transfer?
A: This is a technology used in several color printers in which a wax-like ink is transferred to the page as a series of dots using a heat process.


 Q: What is occurring when an ink is milled?
A: It is the breaking down and further wetting of pigment agglomerates. The time required for milling depends on the nature of the pigment used and how well the mixing step broke down and wetted the pigment agglomerates.

Q: What type of ink is used in a filtration process run?

A: Flexographic and gravure inks are normally run through a filter to remove grit or dirt from the ink.

Printing Industries Resource:
Offering unbiased and confidential results, Printing Industries of America offers a range of testing and laboratory services to help solve printing-related problems. For more information, please contact Brad Evans at 412-741-6860, ext. 784, visit www.printing.org (click “Research and Consulting”), or email labservices@printing.org.