Igor Majnarić

THE INFLUENCE OF INK CONCENTRATION AND LAYER THICKNESS ON YELLOW COLOUR REPRODUCTION IN LIQUID ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY TONER

Original scientific paper In liquid toner electrophotography, colour gamut is often diminished in the yellow region leading to problems with photo quality prints. It is known that the concentration of pigment particles in the printing ink and its thickness when applied on a paper substrate decisively influence final print quality. Variation of these two parameters for the yellow process ink was performed by modifying the printing process of the electrophotographic printer HP Indigo S1000. Printed colour patches of ECI test chart were analysed colorimetrically and using image analysis approach. Two-way analysis of variance was implemented to statistically assess the obtained results. Both studied responses – colour gamut volume and area coverage of halftone dots – were found to be primarily influenced by the yellow ink layer thickness and much less by the ink concentration. Increase from one to two ink layers had a significantly stronger effect on each of the two responses when compared to an additional increase from two to three layers.

The influence of the accelerated ageing on the black screen element of the Electroink prints

Printing material and prints undergo changes during ageing which can be recognized in deterioration in the physical, chemical and optical properties. The aim of this work is to determine the optical changes of the prints caused by ageing of the printing material and of the prints obtained by the application of the indirect electrophotography. The change of the screen elements in lighter halftone areas, which was obtained by the usage of the microscopic image analysis, has been discussed in the article. For the preparation of samples the following papers were used: fine art paper, recycled paper and offset paper as well as black Electroink. Three sample series were observed: prints on nonaged paper and ElectroInk, prints on aged paper and ElectroInk and prints on aged paper and nonaged ElectroInk. The investigation results show that by ageing of the uncoated printing substrates the decrease of the dots on prints can be expected, while the printing on the aged paper results in the increased reproduction of the halftone dots. The obtained results are the contribution to the explanation of the influence of the accelerated ageing process of papers which are used for printing and the aged prints on the halftone dot changes. Except the mentioned determined scientific contribution the results are applicable in the area of the printing product quality as well as in the forensic science.

Analysis of Translucency Parameter of Glass-Ceramics Fabricated by Different Techniques

THE PURPOSE of the study was to analyse translucency parameter (TP values) of glass-ceramics fabricated by different techniques and investigate the effect of the corrosive medium on TP values. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three specimens of each type of IPS e.max ceramics (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) were made in three colours (A2, C2 and B3) by three fabrication techniques (layering - e.max Ceram Dentin; heat-pressing - e.max Press; CAD/CAM - e.max CAD). Specimens were made in the form of plates (10 mm x 12 mm x 0.8 mm). CIE L*a*b* values were measured by a spectrophotometer (X-Rite DTP 20 Pulse, Neu Isenburg, Germany) before and after exposure to 4% acetic acid at 80 °C for 16 hours (ISO 6872) to calculate translucency parameter (TP values). Statistical data were analysed using the IBM SPSS 22 software. RESULTS IPS e.max Ceram Dentin had significantly the lowest TP values, and IPS e.max Press the highest TP values of all colours (A2, C2, B3), both prior and after exposure to acid (p<0.001). The difference in TP values among colours was evident in the IPS e.max Ceram Dentin material, both before and after exposure to acid with a great effect size (p<0.001; η2 = 0.702 and 0.741), and in the IPS e.max Press material (p<0.001, effect size 0.547 and 0.576). CAD/CAD specimens showed uniform TP values between three colours. Further, exposure to a corrosive medium did not result in a statistically significant change of TP values in any of the materials tested. CONCLUSIONS Different types of glass-ceramics showed significant difference in TP values both with respect to the fabrication technique and colour. Exposure to a corrosive medium did not result in a statistically significant change of TP values.

Label legibility influenced by different number of white ink layers

A different number of white ink layers printed with the inkjet technology can influence the legibility of prints. Therefore, we tested how to achieve best legibility of printed text and labelling information, considering the changes in colorimetric and typographic properties. The prints were made with an inkjet printer and three different numbers of white ink layers were used. Three different typefaces in four different sizes, appropriate for labelling, were tested. The colour differences were determined colorimetrically and the differences in the typographic tonal density of typefaces were measured with an image analysis. The legibility research was performed with the help of observers who read the printed text in the combination of white ink on black paper and black ink on white paper. The results led to the conclusion that with regard to the colorimetric and typographic quality and effectiveness, the legibility was the best at two layers of white ink.