Metallic inks are often used to achieve decorative effects on labels, textiles and brochures or to enhance the impact of packaging for cosmetics, spirits and other luxury items. The brilliance of gold, silver and other metallic colors can add a touch of exclusivity that improves the value perception of many products. However, before producing materials that feature metallic colors, it is important to understand how various ink properties can affect the quality of color output on the final product.

Offset metallic inks have required the use of very small pigment particles for optimal printing performance. Smaller pigment particles limit the level of metallic brilliance that can be achieved. With the flexographic process, as used on an offset tower coater, larger pigment particles can be used, yielding a significant improvement in metallic brilliance. Download full article