Unilustre™ is printable with all conventional printing processes including offset both UV and conventional, flexo, gravure, screen, and letterpress. Printing can be accomplish at full production speeds either sheet or web.

Unilustre is a unique product and therefore precautions should be taken before putting a job on press. These precautions include working closely with your ink supplier to formulate specific inks for Unilustre, and in the case of offset printing, special attention should be given to the fountain solution. The Unilustre surface is polymer coated resulting in a surface tension of a 48 minimum dyne level. It is preferred that pretest samples be evaluated by the ink suppliers.

Unifoil also has the capability to test on preshipment samples and will work closely with ink suppliers.

UV Offset Printing

1. Pretest Inks: As stated before.
2. Fountain Solution: Run a minimum of water to avoid press problems.
3. When too much heat is generated into a load, there is a possibility the lustre could be diminished. Heat in excess of 125 degrees farenheit should be avoided for long periods of time in a load.

Conventional Offset

1. It is critical to use oxidative drying inks, similar to those used for foil or film printing.
2. When using aqueos finishing coatings, use those which have the most clarity as not to diminish the brightness of the Unilustre.
3. Fountain solutions should be as high a PH as possible, without causing printing problems to avoid ink drying retardation. It is also recommended to use isopropyl alcohol at a level of approx. 12-14% in the fountain solution. Fountain solution dryer stimulator should also be incorporated.
4. Loads should be kept at a minimum height off the press to avoid offset. Very high humidities could also affect drying.

Letter Press

1. The same precautions with conventional offset should be adhered when printing to letter press.

Gravure and Flexo

1. Unilustre is readily printable with conventional gravure and flexo inks. No reduction in press speeds should be necessary.
2. Excessive oven heat should be avoided to minimize any potential for reducing the brightness of the surface.

Screen Printing

1. As with any process on Unilustre, preprint samples should be tested with specific screen inks. Unilustre will accept most commercial screen inks.

Overprint Varnishes

1. UV Varnishes react very well with Unilustre, resulting in superior aesthetic and mar resistant surface.
2. Unilustre has an extremely reflective surface. Aqueous coatings, can at times, diminish this reflectance depending upon the clarity and the amount of coating applied. It is therefore, recommended to run the lowest possible amount of coating without sacrificing mar resistance.

Additional Technical Information

• Biodegradability & Compostability - UniLustre® (PDF version)
• Environmental Impact - UniLustre® (PDF version)
• Specifications - UniMatte™ White (PDF version)
• Specifications - UniBlock (PDF version)
• Technical Bulletin (PDF version)

Unilustre™

The following ink companies have successfully formulated inks for Unilustre. This list is not meant to eliminate other ink manufacturers or limit their ability to formulate acceptable inks for Unilustre.