Primers play a critical role in the digital printing process. As coatings applied to a substrate prior to digital inkjet printing, primers ensure print jobs achieve targeted cost goals while delivering high-quality output. Primers make great results possible across a wide range of substrates – many of which are new, unique and/or challenging.

Primers enable printers to select from substrate options at different price points for digital inkjet printing applications, without giving up quality.

With a primer, printers can expect:

• Improved ink adhesion and drying
• Sharper image quality
• Deeper and brighter colors
• Enhanced rub resistance

Key functions and benefits

Using primers for digital inkjet applications take print jobs that would otherwise have been impossible and turn them into a beautiful success.

1. Sealing Absorbent Substrates: Porous substrates pose a challenge in digital printing due to their absorbent nature, causing the ink to soak into the material and leading to bleeding and poor print quality. Digital primers seal absorbent substrates to create a new printing surface that is optimized to receive digital printing ink.
2. Enhancing Adhesion: All digital primers are designed to enhance receptivity of the substrate to the inkjet inks and increase adhesion between them. High adhesion is crucial for achieving consistent and high-quality prints.
3. Controlling Dot Gain: Proper dot gain is a critical factor in achieving sharp and clear prints. With the help of digital primers, jetted drops spread to the right size, preventing issues such as blurriness or weak images. Added control also leads to cost savings by allowing for reduced ink usage while maintaining desired color density.

When choosing the right primer for any digital inkjet application, be sure to consider the following factors:

• Substrate Type: Absorbent / Non-Absorbent
• Desired Finish: Gloss, Matte, Satin
• Ink Chemistry: Energy Curable, Water-Based, etc.
• Drying or Curing Method: IR, Air Dry, EB, UV, LED
• Application Method: Flexo, Gravure, Roll Coat, Blanket Coat, Digital, etc.

Why use a Wikoff Digital primer?

As a total solutions provider for digital inks and primers, our specialty primers allow ink to achieve optimum printing performance requirements. Wikoff Digital primers are specifically formulated to enhance adhesion capabilities and improve image quality. Our full range of primers spans ink chemistries, substrates, and curing methods while meeting key regulatory requirements.

Wikoff Digital’s product line features primers for virtually any digital print job, setting commercial printers, in-plant operators, and print shops of all sizes up for successful digital inkjet printing applications.

Wikoff Digital UV and aqueous primer offerings

UV primer features:

• Workhorse: Our tried-and-true series of high-adhesion primers developed for substrates that require increased adhesion and image quality.
• Extra Adhesion: Developed for more challenging substrates that require higher levels of adhesion.
• Highest Adhesion: Designed to adhere to some of the most demanding low surface energy plastics.
• Regulatory Compliance: Variations of the above product series tailored to meet various level or regulatory compliance, such as benzo free, low migration, Prop 65 or Nestle Compliance.
• Finish and More: Product variations designed to achieve a variable gloss or colored finish.

Aqueous primer applications:

• UV Inkjet on Absorbent Substrates: Developed to allow for and improve the quality of UV inkjet inks printed on porous substrates.
• UV Inkjet on Nonabsorbent Substrates: Developed for UV inkjet applications that require increased adhesion to provide better ink laydown.

Wikoff Digital primers perform as advertised

Nobody does primers better than Wikoff Digital and our thousands of satisfied end-users are proof that every product we sell will meet or exceed your expectations.

The Wikoff Digital technical team is ready to advise you on the right primer for your next digital print job. We are here to help.