Monday, April 30, 2018

Thermography Powder, Its Facts And Considerations In Using It

By Dorothy Reynolds


In printing stationery or greeting cards, the maker wants them to have a glossy and smooth finish. This is made possible by an ink that is raised. Nowadays, there is a process followed by designers in enhancing not just greeting cards but also the paper bag, brochures, wrapping papers, packaging, and the like.

A principle of such process is simple. The designers make use of a thermography powder which will be applied to a surface of a printed material. The remaining powders, which is said to have a power that adheres to an ink which was not dried yet, are removed through suction, shaking, or vibration.

It relies dependently on the type of thermographer you are using. You can have the powdered thing that you have been working with by facing it to a conveyor belt upwards. This phase is done to combine the power to the wet ink, thereby producing an embossing effect.

This, too, comes in varying ingredients like gold or bronze shade and even glitters and silver. While it is still wet, you can assure that the inked parts will have adhered with powdered grains, which later on will permanently bound with it as melting occurs. In that instance, the powder itself will adapt to the colors or shades of a wet and inked part.

The metallic appearance has dominated. It is said to have similar effects on embossed design. Heating the powder will cause it to form a gloss and swell that caused the design and letters in ink to have an embossed look and effect.

Now you already have an idea about this magic powder, its characteristics, and uses. The next paragraphs of this write up will discuss the tips for using this. The limitations of using such are also explained here. The tips and limitations are referred to paper selection, as well as, the control of heat while using this one in designing the printed material. Take a read of the last two paragraphs.

Generally, you can use any kind of paper with varying thickness and texture. However, if you want to achieve the best result, it is preferable to use one with a smooth surface. If you want to achieve that ragged appearance and a twist on your artwork, you can apply the powder on a textured or grained paper. But consistent reproduction on other papers of the same type will seem to be more difficult more than you will ever imagine.

Using one with loosed fibers is highly discouraged as its surface could occlude the powder grains. While the papers or stationery that are gummed are said to be thermographed, they should still be tested. This should be done to ensure that its gum will not be destroyed in the heating process. As for stationary and envelopes, it is done so that the grains cannot get inside them.

The second factor that you need to consider is the control of heat. Although there is no specific guideline to follow in controlling heat, there are criteria that you have to look upon. These will help you determine what amount or level of heat is appropriate for the material and thermograph powder you are going to use. These are the properties attributed to the paper or material, and many others.




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