Fade resistance of lithographic inks

This definitive ink fade resistance study conducted by the GATF and Q-Panel Lab Products correlates real world "sunlight through window glass" exposures in benchmark Florida (FL) and Arizona (AZ) locations with accelerated laboratory xenon arc exposures for typical lithographic inks. The purpose of the study was to (1) quantify the fade resistance of typical lithographic inks in an environment approaching a "worst case" service condition like Florida and Arizona; (2) establish a reasonable benchmark for fade resistance testing of inks; and (3) identify test methods providing quick and easy methods to evaluate ink performance. Both the natural under glass exposures and xenon exposures discriminated mks with excellent fade resistance from inks with very poor fade resistance. The xenon exposures correlated very well with the established outdoor under glass exposure benchmark data.