Knowledge Base

Water in Offset Lithography Printing
Friday, 9th December 2016 By webcrew
Water (H2O) is a polar molecule with excellent solvency. It’s always known as “universal solvent” due to its capability to dissolve a lot of substances compared to any other liquids. There are plentiful sources of water (tap water, underground water, treated water, etc.) which is easily accessible. However, the source of water plays a very crucial […]

Cost Reduction Measures In Coldset Printing (Part 1 of 3)
Tuesday, 22nd November 2016 By webcrew
The single biggest cost of printing is paper, followed by ink, and then by consumables such as printing plates, blankets, blanket wash, fountain solution, etc. The other important factors affecting the cost of printing are press down time due to make ready, wash ups, press maintenance and also importantly, the skill of the printers. The paper […]

Indentations or Low Spots On Printing Blankets
Wednesday, 19th October 2016 By webcrew
Do printers have to replace the offset printing blanket due to indentations or low spots? The answer is NO! Printers often encounter problems such as low spots and rubber surface smashes on the blanket during printing. Previously, printers had to stop the printing job half way through and change the printing blanket. This would delay […]

Foaming Issue in Fountain Solution
Friday, 7th October 2016 By webcrew
Surfactants are incorporated in most fountain solutions. These types of surfactants provide a uniform water transfer and enhance the efficiency on wetting the printing plate. Available on the market are a broad range of surfactants. Some of these surfactants have serious negative effects, such as excessive foaming, ink emulsification or even plate blinding. For these reasons, Shadowfax has put a […]

Alcohol Substitutes in Offset Printing
Thursday, 8th September 2016 By webcrew
Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) has been widely used in printing industry, especially in offset lithography printing. It has some advantages in reducing surface tension of fountain solution and provides better wetting. It also acts as a “coolant” to remove the heat from rollers and the ink rapidly. However, the highly volatile properties of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) […]

Introducing SV400 CREST® UV BP Free
Tuesday, 6th September 2016 By webcrew
Shadowfax’s product SV400 CREST® UV BP Free is formulated at low toxicity with benzophenone free properties. Safe to apply on food and toy packaging etc. Good slippery surface with no yellowing effect. Excellent in gloss, adhesion & scratch resistance. No odour and it is eco-friendly! Benzophenone Free Printing Currently, the market trend in the South […]

Management Visit to India in June 2016
Thursday, 1st September 2016 By webcrew
I recently visited India as the Shadowfax network of channel partners has been growing rapidly over the past few months. The agenda of the visit was to meet as many of them as possible. I arrived in New Delhi on 28th June. It was a tightly scheduled trip, with back to back flights and short stays […]

IPA Vs. Alcohol-Free, Why Does Alcohol-Free Fount Fail?
Tuesday, 30th August 2016 By webcrew
In offset lithography, the dampening rollers transfer the press ready, diluted fountain solution to the printing plate as a way to render the non-image areas of the plate ink-repellent. Isopropyl alcohol, (Isopropanol or IPA) has been, and in some parts of the world still is used, as a popular dampening solution additive because of the […]

Mid-Year Stock Take 2016
Tuesday, 23rd August 2016 By webcrew
We will be closed on Monday, 29th August 2016 for our mid-year stock-take. Henceforth, there will be no deliveries from Friday, 26th August until Monday, 29th August 2016. Please take note that our last day for deliveries will be on Thursday, 25th August 2016. We would like to request that our Malaysian customers to submit your orders […]