Wide-Format's Newest Trend

Metallic inks are the new black, or at least that’s how it seems. As more and more print service providers offer the ability to print these eye-catching colors, they’re finding they can use this capacity to win more business.

The markets are being impacted by metallic inks in two ways, observes Eric Zimmerman, product manager with Roland DGA Corp. of Irvine, CA. The first is that use of metallic inks is expanding exponentially, because metallic inks make anything they’re printed upon stand out from the crowd. Second, a huge market has opened up for metallic printers in proofing and prototyping. With a digital wide-format inkjet printer, proofs or prototypes that accurately represent colors in final production pieces can be created cost-effectively on demand.

“Metallic is hot,” Zimmerman notes. “In fact, the opportunity is even bigger than we ever thought it was.”

One major consideration print service providers need to keep in mind is how to sell the metallics. Because metallic ink is new, most of their clients and customers aren’t going to ask about it. But when providers show their clients a high-quality print sample with metallic and an equally good one without metallic, the client “will choose metallic every time,” Zimmerman relates. “The great news is that shops are able to charge 30 to 40 percent more for the same graphic when metallic is added.”

Another is that print service providers need tools to use metallics effectively, he adds. Color management tools and spot color libraries are essential to their success, and are now available in the marketplace, he says.

Training and education are additional important areas for providers. “In order to help people understand how to produce and sell metallic, we’ve launched a series of webinars on the topic for our customers,” he adds.

Use of metallics involves changes in both prepress and production. In prepress, files need to be built in such a way that the printer recognizes the metallic elements. “Because metallic is new, customers aren’t typically bringing in metallic files that are ready to print,” he explains. “Instead, they are asking you to add metallic effects to their files, so you need tools in-house to do this. Roland has created an extensive metallic color library, VersaWorks, our RIP software, with hundreds of metallic colors that are really easy to use.”

There are a couple different ways to use metallic inks, Zimmerman adds. It can be used as a background or its full effect to create a stop-and-stare image.

To create a metallic background with Roland printers, the company offers a blended print mode that fires metallic and CMYK inks at the same time. To get more pop from metallic, Roland printers allow for layered printing, which lays down metallic ink in a separate layer for a finished print that’s more reflective and more dramatic. “This is all done within a single pass,” Zimmerman says.

Another important consideration for providers is that their machines will need to circulate metallic inks. Metallic ink particles need to stay in suspension to print properly, but they are naturally heavier than particles of other colors, Zimmerman points out. Therefore, they will settle in the ink lines if not circulated.

To address this, Roland developed an ink circulation system designed for metallic inks, reducing waste and maintenance, he adds.

“Like other inks, metallic ink adheres better to coated substrates,” he notes. “But we’ve seen very good performance for our own Metallic Silver Eco-SOL MAX on uncoated vinyl, banner media, white and clear PET film, canvas, and photographic papers. The scratch and abrasion resistance of metallic ink is generally lower than that of CMYK inks. This is improved when metallic silver is combined with CMYK to create colors other than silver. As you would expect, lamination will always make your image last longer. Make sure you test your media so you’re comfortable with the results, and know what you’re selling.”