ImagesMagUK_Digital-Edition_Nov17

PRINTING INKS www.images-magazine.com 54 images NOVEMBER 2017 DTG continues to increase its market share: how do you see that affecting demand for screen printing? As we have seen in the growth of digital in the graphics market, once all print shops in the area have similar machines, it becomes very important to offer added value to a print, otherwise the only thing that can be discussed is price. Therefore I see DTG and screen being embraced together rather than one superseding the other. Do you have any tips or advice on how to get the most out of the different types of screen printing inks? This is my favourite subject, helping people achieve the best they can is what Colenso as a company is all about. The best advice I can give is to focus on pre-press: this can be the area that has the lowest costs, but if it’s not done properly the knock-on effect can be very expensive. For example, changing a squeegee blade; how often is this done? In some print shops, at best, it’s yearly. Once the print edge of a blade has become worn and rounded, it can increase your ink usage by at least 5%: that also means a 5% increase in ink costs and a 5% increase in print feel. Using too soft a squeegee generally leads to increased pressure being used – if the blade is bending over it is not being used correctly and can increase ink consumption by up to a whopping 15%! Another example would be incorrectly stretched screens: insufficient tension equals higher ink usage (up to 10% more) and a harsher feel. What are the key trends in screen printing at the moment? Our nationwide team is seeing an ever increasing number of print shops wanting to achieve softer prints whilst trying to produce finer detail, greater vibrancy and an all-round higher print quality. Added value is also becoming more important, whether it is special effects, print finishing or additional services other than just the print on a shirt. What’s the current demand for water- based inks compared to plastisols and how do you see this developing? Water-based is slowly growing. Those who print for the high street are the fastest growing market for water-based printing as retail increasingly requires PVC- and phthalate-free solutions; while plastisol manufacturers have offered solutions, they are not always a workable system in production. We see the snowball of water-based printers growing very rapidly over the next few years as technology from the likes of Virus with its ‘WOW’ range of inks allows wet-on-wet printing. Water- based inks that can be printed without stopping during an eight-hour shift without drying in, or stopping to clean, offer a more efficient solution. Mark Colenso, managing director of Colenso Screen Services, discusses special effects prints, the snowball of water-based inks and how screen printers can fight back against DTG Talking screen printing inkswithMark Colenso What future developments can screen printers expect to see from the various ink brands you offer? Wilflex has been investing a lot in research and development. Its new Epic Rio Colour mixing system shows the start of something new and innovative; these inks can be cured at lower temperatures and in combination with the soon-to-be- launched Low Cure whites, production costs can be reduced and inks can be printed onto garments that require being kept below a certain temperature. The latest buzz is around the Virus WOW inks, a range of water-based inks the likes of which we have not seen before. WOW 4-colour process inks offer the true solution to those who wish to reproduce prints the likes of which DTG produces. Virus also offers a colour separation service. We see this as an ink range that allows screen printers across the land to fight back against DTG. Why should Images readers buy their screen printing inks from Colenso? As the largest and most trusted independent supplier in the UK, representing the best worldwide brands, we are here to help you grow your business and become more profitable; let’s shape the future of screen printing together. www.colenso.co.uk Wilflex continues to innovate, advancing the capabilities of screen printing inks The Virus WOW inks are now available from Colenso To read the full interview, go to www.images-magazine.com