Complete Rotogravure Solvent Guide for Printing & Lamination
Practical Production Floor Understanding of EA, MEK, NPAC, IPA, MCH & Toluene Introduction In rotogravure printing, solvents are as important as ink itself. Even if the ink quality is excellent, improper solvent selection or wrong solvent balance can create multiple printing problems such as pinholes, poor gloss, dot missing, haziness, cylinder choking, poor lamination bond, and drying issues. A skilled gravure operator understands not only viscosity but also solvent behavior. Different solvents evaporate at different speeds and affect print quality in different ways. This guide explains the practical use of commonly used gravure solvents: Ethyl Acetate (EA) MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) NPAC (Normal Propyl Acetate) IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) MCH (Methyl Cyclohexane) Toluene This article is written from a practical production-floor point of view rather than only theoretical chemistry. What Does a Solvent Do in Rotogravure Printing? A solvent ...