White ink is too tacky

When I print light colors with opaque white the ink tends to be much more tacky or thick and doesn’t adhere to the paper as well or as smooth. It has a tendency to look mottled and not as clean. I see Van Son has a few products - has anyone tried these or have suggestions. I’ve been frustrated with really light colors.

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I would suggest, what ever brand it is, get the tack reducer to fix that. OR… Varn makes a product Compound 747 this will make it run correctly. Just mix it really well. You can even put a few drops of this on an already inked press and mill it for awhile and it will change the ink. Not sure where you are but a paper store or a printing supply store will have it. www.Varn.com

Hostmann steinberg produced a reducer labelled in pink and i think that was called Verdunnungs Paste , you never add more than you can pick up on the end of a matchstick per oz of ink .

Varn has actually discontinued Compound 747 (or at least stopped supplying it here). A reasonable replacement would be VanSon Smooth Lith.:
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/PrintingEquipmentandS/-strse-3/Van-Son-...

Press Smart ITA (Ink Transfer Additive):
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/PrintingEquipmentandS/-strse-1121/Press-Smart-ITA-Ink/Detail.bok

Or if you already have it, Setswell Compound (made by Hanco):
http://www.takachpress.com/servlet/the-345/Handschy-Litho-Ink-Sets/Detai...

Small amounts of any of these additives will reduce the tack/body and improve transfer, and will also keep tacky ink from pulling soft paper fibers off (picking); but be wary- too much of ANY additive that reduces tack will actually make the ink so runny that it will fail to hold the detail required for printing fine resoluitions by drastically increasing ink spread, and frankly the more pressure you’re using the more the ink is going to spread.

Could be the opaque white that you are using? I have never had any problems with light inks, and I mix a lot of them. I use transparent white ink which I find works great. I have never had much luck with reducers, especially for letterpress.

You could ask around in the hope of locating some “colour thix ” it is commonly found in litho press rooms albeit little used !

To reduce tack a fiew drops of boiled linseed oil on the ink plate really helps give it a try. Dave