Ink coverage in printing refers to the amount of ink applied to a printed surface. It is also referred to as ink coverage or ink density. The ink application is an important parameter in the printing process as it influences the intensity and saturation of the colours.
A high ink application can lead to more intense colours and a higher saturation, but also to longer drying times and possibly to problems such as the ink bleeding through the paper. A low ink application, on the other hand, can lead to pale or washed-out colours.
The ink coverage is usually given as a percentage and indicates what percentage of the print area is covered with ink. An ink coverage of 100% means that the entire surface is completely covered with ink, while an ink coverage of 0% means that no ink is applied and the surface remains empty. ISOCoatedV2 has a maximum ink coverage of 330%, ISOCoatedV2 300% – as the name suggests – has a reduced ink coverage of only 300%. The successor standard PSOCoatedV3 was only created and published in a version with a maximum ink coverage of 300%.
There are several reasons why the maximum colour application is limited to 300% with PSOCoatedV3. Here are some of the main reasons:
A high ink application can lead to problems such as overprinting, wet printing behaviour, ink smearing and longer drying times. These problems can impair the print quality or cause the motif to be transferred to the opposite side during folding. In some cases, the folding machines are so smeared and dirty after folding a print that is still too ‘wet’ that they first have to be cleaned at great expense. By limiting the ink application to 300%, these potential problems are minimised.
However, environmental and cost aspects also play a role: a high ink application means a greater amount of ink or printing ink being applied, which can lead to higher ink consumption and potentially to environmental impacts. By limiting the amount of ink applied, a certain saving in ink consumption is achieved, which in turn contributes to a more environmentally friendly printing process.
Today, the ink coverage is often subsequently reduced from 300% to even lower values using so-called ‘ink savers’. So if you deliver a file with 300% ink coverage to a print shop, you cannot be sure that you will receive a print with 300% ink coverage.
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