Formulations designed to be used only when the job conditions require it.
Specific additives for conventional offset and for UV, LED and EB systems, depending on the printing technology used.
Our technical team can help you assess whether the use of an additive is suitable for your case and which option is the most appropriate.
MA Inks conventional offset inks are formulated to provide stable performance on press. However, in certain circumstances —production urgency, customer requirements, complex substrates or environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity or water-ink balance— it may be necessary to enhance or modify some of their properties.
For these cases, MA Inks offers additives for conventional offset that make it possible to act on aspects such as tack, viscosity, drying, surface resistance, set-off or ink behaviour during press stoppages.
Their use should always be assessed from a technical standpoint, taking into account the type of ink, the substrate, the dampening system and the actual printing conditions.
Energy-curing systems —conventional UV, UV LED and EB— work with inks of specific composition and have their own process requirements. Factors such as temperature, substrate type, humidity or the presence of water can influence the behaviour of these inks during the printing process.
In certain cases, it may be necessary to adjust aspects such as adhesion, curing, scratch resistance, friction, ink rheology, viscosity, tack or foam formation in high-speed systems.
MA Inks additives for UV, LED and EB technologies are formulated to respond to these specific situations, including specific solutions such as photoinitiators for low-migration UV and LED inks, provided that their use is assessed according to technical and regulatory criteria.
As with any specialised printing system, the choice of additive must be based on the technology used, the curing conditions, the substrate and the required final result.
The use of additives should not be considered a routine practice, but a technical solution for specific situations. Our team can help you analyse your printing process, identify the cause of the problem and determine whether adding an additive is really the most suitable option.
These are the most common questions about the use of additives in offset printing. If you cannot find the answer to your enquiry, our technical team is at your disposal.
Additives are used to make occasional adjustments to ink behaviour when printing conditions require it. They can help modify aspects such as drying, tack, viscosity, rub resistance, set-off or stability in certain press situations.
At MA Inks, we do not recommend their use as a routine practice. Their incorporation should always be assessed according to a specific technical need: substrate type, environmental conditions, dampening system, printing speed, customer requirements or behaviour observed during the job.
No. In general, it is not advisable to add additives to ink as a routine practice. An excess of additive or an incorrect choice can alter the balance of the formulation and affect ink behaviour on press.
That is why, before adding any product, it is important to analyse the source of the issue: substrate, temperature, humidity, dampening system, speed, pressure, curing, storage or actual workshop conditions.
Each printing technology works with inks of different composition. In conventional offset, adjustments are usually related to drying, viscosity, tack, set-off, surface resistance or ink behaviour in the ink duct.
In UV, LED and EB systems, additives respond to specific needs related to energy curing, adhesion, scratch resistance, friction, foam reduction, viscosity or behaviour on technical substrates. For this reason, they should not be used interchangeably.
A concentrated drier helps accelerate or reinforce the oxidative drying process of certain conventional offset inks. It can act on the surface of the ink film, inside the printed layer or combine both actions, depending on the type of drier used.
It is used in specific cases where the substrate, ink load or environmental conditions slow down drying. It must be used with caution and in the appropriate proportion, as excess dosage may cause stability problems or alter ink behaviour.
A photoinitiator is a component related to the curing process of UV or LED inks. Its function is to promote the reaction that allows the ink to cure correctly when exposed to the corresponding ultraviolet light.
In UV and LED systems, it can be used to improve curing in specific cases, even in low-migration inks when the reference allows it. Its use must be handled with particular care, as it may alter the shade of light colours or whites, and should always be assessed according to the ink, lamp, power, press speed, substrate and the technical or regulatory requirements of the job.
Not necessarily. Compatibility depends on the type of ink, the printing technology and the final application. An additive suitable for a conventional offset ink may not be valid for a UV, LED, EB, waterless or low-migration ink.
That is why we recommend consulting the MA Inks technical team beforehand, especially for packaging jobs, regulated applications, low-migration inks or processes with specific curing, resistance or overprinting requirements.
The proportion depends on the type of additive, the ink used and the issue to be corrected. In conventional offset additives, many references are used at low levels, usually between 1% and 3%.
In UV, LED and EB systems, dosage varies more depending on the product: some references are recommended below 2%, others between 1% and 5%, and some may reach higher percentages in specific cases. The technical recommendation for each reference should always be followed, starting with the appropriate dosage and carrying out prior tests before validating the job.