Hostmann-Steiberg Inks

[GazKL440]

We've been using HS inks for quite a long time and I must say I'm not a fan.

The "Impression" series seemed quite good, but when we finally switched to canisters our local rep seems to be able to source only the "Perfexion" series, and in my opinion it's just too damn light an ink and requires an unreasonably high amount of ink required for correct density.

Other problems I've noted are it's propensity to get EVERYWHERE through the press, flicking off roller ends and building up down the sides of the roller train and making a terrible bloody mess, and you've really got to keep an eye on the yellow "laying back" on you.

We use heaps of it too: running a job with a fair amount of coverage was averaging 1-2 kgs of CMK and 2-3 kgs of yellow PER STACK (10,000 runs).

Our factory is un-air conditioned, and as ambient temps here in Brisbane are rising, the ink is getting looser and looser and I'm having to chase my water levels up constantly to keep ahead of scumming, somewhere in the realm of 10%+ over a shift.

My 2c

[Lukew]

Hostmann Steinberg= GREAT INKS!!!

So they have gone from, Hostmann having issues to edit post two years later - great ink.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Hostmanns made in India isn't it. Along with a host of other brands that are looking at cutting cost.

[ymckman]

They are made in India and I believe they are now producing in Canada. We just had a batch of UV inks come in from Canada which is suppose to be the "same formula" but have had nothing but issues with it. We are running an 835 series UV with succuess. At our old shop we ran Reflecta on our KBA Rapida.

[ymckman]

As for GREAT....i would not call them that. As of late they seem to take feedback with deaf ears. We tell them (tech and sales) what we see and what we want to see changed and the next time they come in we tell them the same thing and they act surprised. "Ooh I didn't know that was an issue" type response. Just my 2 cents!

[Dan Roll]

I have always found the code words "same formula" when uttered by an ink company to mean "totally different ingredients", not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good either......

[GazKL440]

Lately we've been really struggling on the magenta deck of our 40" with what was seemingly a water control issue. The colour would stay stable whilst the press was cold but the longer you ran for the worse it would get, and by end of shift the metering roller was absolutely filthy. I'm currently working permanent afternoon shift so would spend most of my shift chasing the water up and down in a desperate (losing) battle for consistency.

After dumping and cleaning the entire fount system several times to ensure chemistry was not the problem, I went through the entire deck to eliminate a mechanical issue. Aside from a few minor tweaks in the dampers and finding an oscillator only touching one end, everything was pretty good (admittedly the roller train is a bit long in the tooth but they're in pretty good condition). The result?? Perhaps a 1% improvement.

So the next step (with chemicals and mechanical issues eliminated) is throw another ink at it and see what happens. I found a random canister of Toyo (at least it had Toyo on the box, canister was unlabeled!!) scraped out the duct and re-filled it.

Result??

Bingo!!!

Was able to pull roughly 10% out of the profile whilst easily maintaining colour, over the next 30,000 runs it stayed perfectly stable without any chasing required, and the metering roller actually cleaned up... Massive improvement, and less than 1kg of ink was used as opposed to >2kgs with the Hostmann Steinberg ink over the same amount of runs during the previous shift I'd run.

So fresh solution and properly set rollers made little to no difference whereas a different ink made a dramatic improvement. Conclusion? I need to convince my boss to change inks. Hopefully he decides that paying a touch more for ink will result in better results every time. Somehow I doubt it but you never know

[mazengh]

So fresh solution and properly set rollers made little to no difference whereas a different ink made a dramatic improvement. Conclusion? I need to convince my boss to change inks. Hopefully he decides that paying a touch more for ink will result in better results every time. Somehow I doubt it but you never know

you don't necessarily have to pay more... you can negotiate and get a better deal... contact several companies and have them send you their series...

[Cornishpastythighs]

Gaz, now that you have come to the conclusion that it is the Magneta ink that is the issue have you not given H&S a chance to observe the results and then go away and come up with a corrective action? Changing ink companies just beacuse one ink doesnt work as well as it once did is a huge deal and I find that all ink companies will have a 'problem' ink once and awhile, I believe its how your ink company steps up and supports you when you have an issue thats important. The ink ran ok once as you say its a problem that's developed lately. Just my opinion. If they have no response or dont care about your issue then your correct its time to look around and do some ink trials.

[D Ink Man]

The instability in density control is caused by the inks inability to form an effective micro emulsion. The lighter the coverage, the more fluctuation you will encounter.

The best offset sheet fed process ink series on the market today, is TOYO Hyplus. You will pay a little more, but you will get a whole lot more. They come in two tack ranges, have good breadth as far as the substrates they can run on (some synthetics).

Additionally they are ultra low in petroleum solvents, believe less than 1%, so they certainly qualify as a contemporary, qualified environmentally green product line. They accept most post press finishes, believe are laser safe and are UV and aqueous coatable See their website for more specific details of their process offerings.

Hope this helps. Get some bang for your buck.

D

[Erik Nikkanen]

The instability in density control is caused by the inks inability to form an effective micro emulsion. The lighter the coverage, the more fluctuation you will encounter.


D

Mr. D, I can't let this go by without some clarification.

Can you describe why the micro emulsion would have an affect on density control?

What in your view are the cause and affect issues?

Thanks.