LUMENTIFY
The challenge: fine and still bright
For printing, the pigment particles must be small so that they pass through the screen and give a clean print. At the same time, with glow pigments: the smaller the particle size, the weaker the afterglow. The skill lies in finding a particle size that prints well and still glows convincingly.
The target range: below 20 µm
For textile and screen printing we usually work with particle sizes below 20 µm, considerably finer depending on requirements. Thanks to special production techniques we offer particle sizes down to 1 µm. For comparison: the bright standard pigments are 60–80 µm – usually too coarse for printing.
| Particle size | Suitability for printing |
|---|---|
| 1–5 µm | very fine, for the finest prints; special range thanks to special production |
| below 20 µm | typical target range for textile and screen printing |
| 60–80 µm | bright standard pigments, usually too coarse for printing |
Colours
The fine pigments are available in many tints. Here too, the untinted pigments in natural green and blue-green glow brightest; tinted shades give stronger daylight colours but glow less.
What matters in practice
- Light substrate. On light textiles the print glows brighter; on dark fabrics a light underbase in the print build-up helps.
- Transparent printing paste. As with lacquers: the more transparent the binder, the more light reaches the pigment.
- Layer build-up. More pigment in the print means more brightness – we work out the balance of particle size, pigment loading and layer thickness with you.
Advice from experienceWe are deeply involved in textile and screen printing and draw on many years of experience from numerous projects. We advise you on the right particle size and put together samples for your print test.