ACTEGA Kelstar Technical Bulletin Effect Varnish Usage Guide
The ACTEGA Kelstar Effect Varnish series allow printers and finishers to produce tightly registered, contrasting looks, in-line. Some Effect Varnish / gloss coating combinations produce a smooth matte / gloss contrast, while others produce a textured matte / gloss contrast. Effect Varnish #15 / Effect Varnish #18 with Ultra Sheen UV-9244 or Starkote AQ-366: Effect Varnish #15 and Effect Varnish #18 are conventional varnishes. When wet-trapped with Ultra Sheen UV-9244 or Starkote AQ-366 (and other select gloss UV or AQ coatings), the combination produces a smooth matte / high gloss contrasting look. The matte look over the varnish image area is produced because the gloss coating is absorbed into the varnish. For best results, apply a “heavy” amount of varnish (approximately 20% more than a standard ink). The gloss top coat should be applied with an anilox in the range of 180 – 200 line / 8 – 12 bcm. Applying too thick a film weight of gloss coating could result in loss of effect. Effect Varnish #15W with Ultra Sheen UV-8600: Effect Varnish #15W is a conventional varnish. When dry-trapped on a web press with Ultra Sheen UV-8600 (and other select gloss coatings), the combination produces a textured matte / high gloss contrasting look. The matte look is produced over the varnish image area because the gloss coating “beads up” (reticulates) over the dried varnish. As described in the Effect Varnish #15 / gloss coating combination section above, the varnish should be applied thicker and the gloss top coat should be applied thinly. Thicker top coat film weights can result in a more “hammertoned” appearance (larger “beads”). Thinner film weights result in tighter reticulation.
UV Effect Varnish #20 with Ultra Sheen UV-9613: UV Effect Varnish #20 is a UV curable varnish. When dry-trapped on a sheet-fed press with Ultra Sheen UV-9613 (and other select UV gloss coatings), the combination produces a textured matte / high gloss contrasting look similar to that of Effect Varnish #15W and Ultra Sheen UV-8600, described above. As described in the above sections, “heavier” amounts of varnish used with thinner film weights of gloss top coating usually result in the best contrast. Effect Varnish #15 Trouble Shooting: If the effect is not coming through well, increasing the amount of varnish and decreasing the amount of gloss top coat can often improve the contrast. Effect Varnish #15W / UV Effect Varnish #20 Trouble Shooting: If the effect is not coming through well, first check the gloss top coat for contamination using the marker pen reticulation test. To do the test, simply draw a broad line using a Sharpie King Size permanent marker on the cured gloss coating (where the coating is not over the Effect Varnish). The marker pen line should not bead up at all. If any beads appear, the coating is contaminated. Ultra Sheen UV-8600 and Ultra Sheen UV-9613 (as well as other coatings that would be recommended for these particular combinations) are very sensitive to additive contamination (surfactants, defoamers, etc.). Any contamination could result in the top coat flowing out over the varnish instead of “beading up”. If the marker pen reticulation test yields a solid black line, try drying (or curing, in the case of UV) the varnish further, increasing the varnish amount, or decreasing the gloss top coating film weight For more information and further recommendations, contact ACTEGA Kelstar at 856 829 6300 or
[email protected].
