Printing cardboard boxes

By varsityink on Aug. 05, 2011
varsityink's picture

Who makes a fast air-dry ink for printing cardboard boxes?

—

Varsity Ink
serving the Statesboro, Milledgeville, and Savannah, GA areas t-shirt and promotional items needs

"Passionate about Printing"

www.varsityinkonline.com

www.5kshirts.com

Binkspot's picture
Submitted by Binkspot on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 19:09

We print our logo on boxes and found plain acrylic craft paint works well and easy to clean up. You can get it a Walmart or a craft store.

Owner/Operator of Middletownink

Binkspot's picture
Submitted by Binkspot on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 20:07

I stand them up on end like signs and it takes about 15 min to dry to the touch. The hotter the shop the quicker they dry. If I'm in a rush I send them through the dryer quick. I do not add anything to the paint and run a 180 or 200 mesh and print on them on the manual.

Owner/Operator of Middletownink

Submitted by Printwizard on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 22:54

There are a lot of water based box inks about. Even textile water base can do the job!! Fine mesh and run your drier fast!

Submitted by Printwizard on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 02:31

preston wrote:
I print them with regular plastisol and just send them down the dryer. Never had any come off.


Plastisol can scuff off. My suggestion is either water based or solvent based. Get a sample and test print the ink on it, then give it a rub next day, a scuff, cut it several times in two directions across each other cut, push plastic Sellotape down on it, and lift off as a cross-hatch adhesion test. Also take into consideration the stock and eater it is matte or coated gloss etc as the substrate stock and finish will ultimately determine the ink that will be easiest and cheapest to print with acceptable adhesion.
preston's picture
Submitted by preston on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 10:33

Printwizard wrote:
Plastisol can scuff off. My suggestion is either water based or solvent based. Get a sample and test print the ink on it, then give it a rub next day, a scuff, cut it several times in two directions across each other cut, push plastic Sellotape down on it, and lift off as a cross-hatch adhesion test. Also take into consideration the stock and eater it is matte or coated gloss etc as the substrate stock and finish will ultimately determine the ink that will be easiest and cheapest to print with acceptable adhesion.

Like I said, I have never had any come off, scuff or otherwise. The cardboard absorbs the ink and plasticizers so the ink is actually embedded into the fibers. I would not use plastisol on cardboard or poster board with a slick finish but on regular cardboard boxes it works great.

Shop Cal Software

tpitman's picture
Submitted by tpitman on Sun, 08/07/2011 - 14:13

Speedball acrylic ink works great. About the only thing they make that's worth a damn for screenprinting. Not the crap made for fabric, although that would probably work, too.

Pitman Graphics
pitmangraphics.com

preston's picture
Submitted by preston on Sun, 08/07/2011 - 16:18

tpitman wrote:
Speedball acrylic ink works great. About the only thing they make that's worth a damn for screenprinting. Not the crap made for fabric, although that would probably work, too.

Pitman Graphics
pitmangraphics.com

I have even printed them using latex house paint. 305 and trip down the dryer.

Shop Cal Software

Submitted by Printwizard on Sun, 08/07/2011 - 17:00

Laquer paint does work well. Did an ink test on plastisol through a fine mesh and down the drier and it scuffed badly when run through the die-cutter last night as I thought I could cheat and not mix up a PMS but use ink I had mixed in plastisol already. If you ever print polyester coated aluminium you will find paint lacer can print easier with better adhesion than many inks, or even 50/50 mixes with marabou / manoukian inks....

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