It is generally recognized that the best method for evaluating printing properties of ink-substrate combinations is by actual printing. this practice provides a convenient method for preparing repeatable laboratory prints at realistic conditions of printing speed, printing pressure and ink film thickness.

This practice is useful for quality control, specification acceptance between producer and user, product development and research. Printed samples have found widespread applications for color matching, gloss-ink holdout and other appearance properties, permanency, abrasion, drying time and many other tests of interest to the printing ink, paper and allied industries.

1. Scope

1.1 This practice describes the procedure for preparing laboratory prints of paste printing inks using a motor-driven printability tester.

1.2 This practice covers printability testers of four different designs, referred to as Tester A, B, C, and D. These testers feature “push-button” control of printing speed and pressure and facilitate measurement of exact ink film thickness.

1.3 This practice is intended primarily for lithographic and letterpress inks that dry by oxidation or penetration. With appropriate drying or curing equipment, it is also applicable to other systems such as heat-set or energy curable.

1.4 This practice is applicable to the preparation of single-color solid-area prints by dry offset (also know as letterset) or by letterpress on any flat surface including paper, paperboard, plastic film, textiles, and metal.

1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The only other unit of measurement used is fpm.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

Other Standards

Keywords

color matching; dry offset printing; energy curable inks; heatset inks; laboratory printing; letterpress inks; letterpress printing; letterset printing; lithographic inks; metal decorating; motor-driven printability tester; newsinks; paper; paperboard; paste printing inks; plastic film; printability tester; printing ink; print testing; reflection density; sheet-fed inks; textile printing;

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 87.080 (Inks. Printing inks)

Citing ASTM Standards

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