writeable uv coating

[bhm8hwcm]

Hi I was wondering if people are having success with writeable UV coatings. For years I have printing gang run bus cards, postcards etc with a gloss AQ. I put in the coater in to handle the coating.

I am fairly new to UV coating and am presently mixing a high gloss writeable UV coating with a matte UV coating to get a desired gloss level close to an AQ as I have not wanted to make the full switch to high gloss UV.

The AQ was writeable which was a nice feature. The UV is supposed to be writeable and it is to a certain degree but it is very fussy dependent on pen used etc. It is not as forgiving as the AQ.

I was wondering what kind of success others have had and if they can recommend certain brands that work well.

[REYES1377]

Been doing UV for some time now, Prisco has a good writeable gloss uv. As far as mixing the gloss to produce a satin why not just go with a HIGH gloss AQ. UV coating is not cheap and if your trying to give a AQ apperance?? Just currious.

[bhm8hwcm]

Thanks for the reply. I will look into the prisco uv product.

The reason I am doing UV now is so that I could run the coating offline. I only have a 4 color press and so I was running an ink train AQ as a 2nd pass but I wanted to free up press time so I put in the coater.

I put in a roller coater and have been advised they are best for UV and not AQ. AQ is possible but the cleanup is much more involved so I wanted to stick to UV.

Running a straight satin UV was too matte for me and that is why I cut the high gloss writeable UV with about 20% matte to get the look i want. Just want it a little more writeable.

[REYES1377]

Ouch! We are spoiled here, we are able to run UV and AQ in line.

[jonprintz]

Most UV coatings are not writeable. Even the writeable UV coating will be a little fussy toward certain pens. Your coating manufacturer will need to recommend you their product that is writeable in a viscosity that will work well in your coating unit. I recommend that you contact your local Kelstar representative or call their tech line.

I would discourage you from mixing coatings yourself as you are going to find that the results will not always be repeatable. If you are mixing a writeable coating and a non-writeable coating you are creating your own non-writeability problem. It sounds like you are wanting a satin coating. Why not purchase a satin coating to start with?

Matte coatings are prone to scratching and marking. We stay away from matte coating whether UV or AQ whenever possible. When a lower gloss is requested a satin will usually do a great job.

A gloss meter will be a valuable tool to measure sheen and assign a # to the sheen level. This would help you compare the UV gloss to the AQ fountain coating gloss to get the result you want.

Generally tower coater applied AQ gloss coating will read around 65-70 on the meter. Fountain AQ coating will likely be a slightly lower reading. Fully cured gloss UV coating will read in the mid to high 80's. Matte UV coatings will usually read in the mid-20's. Satin UV coating should get you close to the sheen level you are looking for. Every coating manufacturer has multiple formula's and will be able to get you what you are looking for with a readily available formula.

You don't mention the substrates you are working with but the substrate is critical to the end gloss level. The #'s above are for coated stocks. I would avoid UV coating on non-coated stocks.

Running inline is always preferred for efficiency but you will find you will get slightly better results with your coatings due to applying them to dry surfaces offline. The coating will not "dive in" to the dried inks as they do when they are wet.

[apolloUVGOD]

All,
Most writable UV coatings from all manufactures are in the same performance ball park.
Don't forget "Process" Belt speed and lamp power. Most units have a 200 watt setting try it.
Clean the coater well when changing from standard gloss.

Mixing a little matt are we. I like that you are thinking and trying. Keep it up and you will know more than half or the formulators out there. The ball point likes my matt silica add.

Happy Signing