Imitation Reflex Blue

guink666

New member
Hey Guys
We've been having a lot of problems with reflex blue and its inability to dry very well
I took to the web for answers and found that many printers and print shops use imitation reflex blue. Our ink supply company doesn't have this.
So my question is:
Does anybody know of and can recommend a good imitation reflex blue?
or even better:
Does anybody know what the mix formula would be so I can mix my own?
 
Hey Guys
We've been having a lot of problems with reflex blue and its inability to dry very well
I took to the web for answers and found that many printers and print shops use imitation reflex blue. Our ink supply company doesn't have this.
So my question is:
Does anybody know of and can recommend a good imitation reflex blue?
or even better:
Does anybody know what the mix formula would be so I can mix my own?

I believe your answer is here: The Print Guide: How to subdue the Reflex Blue Blues
 
Yes I have read the article (and it's good) but it also says talk to your ink supplier about an imitation reflex blue, and to use and imitation blue if possible to avoid the problem of real reflex blue
 
Find another ink supplier who does supply imitation Reflex Blue, I am sure your regular ink company will be more than motivated to supply it then. Just a thought!
 
Beyond the normal 'drying' problems that are experienced when using reflex blue, much of the problems originate because of the heavy ink film thickness required to approach book density. Under a controlled evaluation using the Prufbau, it was found that reflex requites TWICE the ink flim as compared to rhodamine red.

The ink films in the pAntone guide are not even close to be equally balanced. Chasing the density of reflex with the coarse and abrasive properties of the alkali blue pigment only compound matters. Many times drying problems perceived are a combination of factors. Scuffing, marking, burnishing, setting and drying issues are the end result.

Going to an imitation, mock reflex blue will help some of these issues. Imitation reflex is normally a duo of pigments, carbazole violet and phthalo blue. This combo will help with the scuffing and marking issues but there is a trade off. Imitation reflex is significantly weaker than true alkali reflex blue. On the average 30-40% less color strength using imitation is the sacrifice. So the gain that has been made with less abrasive pigments is lost due to the fact you must lay extra ink film to get comparable density.

So what to do?

You do need to consult with a qualified ink supplier to formulate you a maximum strength or hybrid type formula. Using highly pigmented ink, with the proper wax content and amounts will help. Also the implementation of hard film forming drying oils will help, like tung oil.

Finding an ink company that will work with you in this day and age probably will be a monumental task, Most will probably tell you to use some off the shelf entity or provide you with a fufu dust compound to add press side.

Search the smaller and mid size ink companies to help with formulating an ideal product. They won't know it, but they will actually be helping themselves by creating a unique product that will have application for many printers.

Just don't let them throw it at you.

D Ink Man
 
In my experience with imitation reflex blue, for running on the Dry Offset process (not waterless) for printing plastic containers, was that it was a big problem. Yes the ink film had to be very high and that caused other problems with this printing technology. And when the ink films were high enough to come close to a colour match, it never really matched the reflex blue colour in the Pantone guide.

I would say for that operation, it was not an ink formulation that was really successful.

We did have excellent help from our ink supplier, Zeller & Gmelin, in working on ink formulations with our in plant ink mixing operation. Several hundred Pantone matching formulations were developed for our specific plastic cup materials.
 

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