New way to examine the ancient art of putting ink to paper
- Apr 26, 2015
- 1 min read
The process of putting ink on paper has been around for centuries. Even with years of invention and innovation, researchers in the graphic arts are constantly finding ways to rework and improve the process. The result is more efficient printing presses that use higher quality materials.
A team of Finnish scientist have been examining the process of putting ink on paper with unprecedented 3D detail. This research has greatly improved the understanding of how ink sticks to paper.
From Science Daily:
"Using modern X-ray and laser-based technologies, the researchers created a nano-scale map of the varying thickness of toner ink on paper. They discovered that wood fibers protruding from the paper received relatively thin coatings of ink. In general, they also found the toner thickness was dictated mainly by the local changes in roughness, rather than the chemical variations caused by the paper's uneven glossy finish.
The team describes their results in a paper published in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP Publishing.
'We believe that this gives new insight, especially on how the topography of paper impacts the ink setting or consolidation,' said Markko Myllys, an applied physicist at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. 'This in turn helps us understand how glossy and non-glossy printed surfaces should be made.'"
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