Analysis of printed paperboard packaging stability on water

The transition to sustainable and environmentally friendly materials has become a key imperative in the printing industry. It is motivated by the need to reduce the environmental footprint, strict regulations and market demands. Paperboard, although environmentally friendly solution for packaging, must be functional and stable in contact with water in unprinted and printed stage. Given the hydrophilicity of paper as a printing substrate, it is important that the print does not smear, fade or transfer to the contact material in high humidity conditions. This study focuses on testing the stability of mono-color and multi-color prints on five different paperboard packaging materials printed on an offset printing machine. The prints were treated with distilled water according to ISO standard ISO 2836:2021. Before and after treatment, the colorimetric values (L*a*b*) of prints were measured with a spectrophotometer to detect if contact of the prints with water leads to a change in the color (high ∆E00* value) of the print.