Domino Printing Sciences BK651 black ink for thermal ink jet

Domino Printing Sciences water-based BK651 black ink for thermal ink jet (TIJ) applications was developed specifically to withstand the rigours of the pharmaceutical market. It has been awarded a grade A through to Blue Wool 4 during independent testing and evaluations on printed samples of the ink to establish its performance and light-fastness, undertaken by international packaging, paper and print-industry specialists PIRA International.

Samples of 2D data matrix codes printed by Domino’s BK651 ink were tested against samples produced using other market-leading inks to assess fading characteristics. Both of these samples were incrementally exposed to a filtered Xenon arc light source to Blue Wool 5 in compliance with ISO 105-B02. This is considered to represent the worst-case lighting that is likely to occur in a retail environment. After each exposure, the legibility of the data matrix code was assessed and a measurement of the colour difference was taken relative to unexposed print samples.

The results concluded that, of the samples provided to PIRA, the water-based black ink maintained a grade A through to Blue Wool 4 and softened to a grade B at Blue Wool 5.

Typically, packaged medicines and healthcare products within the pharmaceutical industry have to withstand significant wear, from being stored in distribution hubs for periods of anything between five and 24 months, or being subject to the stresses of global transportation. At the end of these processes, it’s vital that the product codes are still readable and conform to the top-quality grade A for light fastness.