Ink additives fine-tune an existing ink system. They do not replace diagnosis of water-ink balance, rollers, substrate, temperature, drying, or curing. Establish a repeatable problem and retain a no-additive control sample before changing a formulation.
FM PRINT additive list and public use
| Material | Main use | Reference addition | Check during trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varnish reducer | Lower ink viscosity and increase flow | Below 5% | Color strength, drying, and ink-film properties |
| White drier | Accelerate surface drying on paper | 1-3% | Set-off and surface drying in the actual pile |
| Red drier | Accelerate internal ink-film drying on paper | 1-3% | Full drying, overprint, and finishing |
| Rub-resistant body | Lower viscosity and improve rub resistance | Below 5% | Color, transfer, and actual rub test |
| Transfer improver | Lower viscosity and improve ink transfer | 1-3% | Misting, piling, screens, and solids |
| Varnish oils / base ink | Color adjustment, base coating, ink-film protection | Project-specific | Color target, base ink, and finishing |
| Gloss / rub-resistant gloss varnish | Brightness and ink-film protection | Project-specific | Gloss, rub, drying, and finishing |
| Matt varnish | Lower gloss, increase haze, protect ink film | Project-specific | Matt uniformity, scratch, and finishing |
The reference additions are small-trial starting points only. They are not a fixed production formula across ink systems or presses.
Trial method
Confirm the ink system first: conventional offset, UV, or another process. Check the basic press condition, then define one objective. Start from the low end of the applicable product guidance, mix thoroughly, and change one material or addition level at a time. Compare each sample against the no-additive control under the actual substrate, speed, pile, and finishing conditions.
For flow and transfer, inspect roller transfer, solids, screens, misting, and piling. For drying, inspect set-off and downstream work after the real waiting time. For gloss or rub, test after complete drying or curing and the actual finishing step.
Important limits
- Do not mix additives, varnishes, cleaners, or ink systems without confirming compatibility through TDS and SDS information.
- Unconfirmed conventional additives may affect UV cure or adhesion; do not transfer conventional-offset practice to a UV system.
- Excess addition can reduce color strength, affect drying, or alter ink-film performance.
- Stop scale-up when the result cannot be repeated in a small trial; retain samples and production records for technical review.