IFRA

WAN-IFRA: How can materials testing help newspaper printers to cut costs?

ANAND SRINIVASAN: As you know, the costs of newsprint and ink form the major part in the expenses of a printing house. Selection of the right newspaper and ink that offers better productivity and cost savings is the key. Testing can show indications on how a paper or ink will perform in the production process. For example, if a printer uses two different newsprints and if the grammage of one newsprint is 44.5 gsm and another newsprint is 45.5 gsm, then newsprint 2 will produce 2% fewer copies than newsprint 1 for the same weight. Another example, a newsprint with low pick resistance will cause a lot of fluff accumulation in the press. It may lead to frequent stoppages and cleaning, in turn, leading to waste of time and newsprint. Studying the mechanical characteristics of newsprint can show indications on the runnability of a newsprint. While making purchasing decisions, it is better to study the quality of materials in a laboratory and do a comparative study and select the best one.

WAN-IFRA: Your laboratory also offers ink milage studies: How big can the differences be between news inks or even between different batches of the same ink?

SRINIVASAN: I have recorded a maximum of 32% difference in ink mileage between ink from two different manufacturers. Ink mileage depends on the pigment concentration. Pigment is a cost factor for the ink manufacturer. Cheaper inks may have lower pigment concentration (may not be true in all cases). It is very easy to study the ink mileage in a laboratory, and it can be studied accurately. Batch to batch variations may not be huge. However, it is essential to study the ink mileage for a longer period of time, say one year, record the values of different batch of inks and communicate any variations to the supplier. I am attaching two JPG files that show the difference in ink mileage among eight sets of CMY inks from different manufacturers.

WAN-IFRA: How expensive are ink tests? Does it pay off only for high circulation papers?

SRINIVASAN: Ink tests pay off even to small printers. Printers should study inks from different manufacturers and choose the ink that offers good mileage. As I said earlier, I have recorded a 32% difference in ink mileage. If you choose the wrong ink, the loss can be huge.