Influence of Binders on Inkjet Print Quality

With surface sizing process, the paper surface can be tailored in order to achieve excellent print quality. Present study reports paper surface modifications carried out by surface sizing treatment with formulations composed by different polymer binders systems and subsequent evaluation of inkjet print quality of the produced papers. Binders as cationic starch (used on surface sizing in paper mill) and polyvinyl alcohol (used as binder in coating process) had been used in order to improve the inkjet print quality. These binders systems provide papers with different structure and physical-chemical properties and as consequence differentiated print quality. Parameters, such as, line width, blur, raggedness, inter-color bleed, circularity and dot gain, gamut area and optical printing densities were measured and correlated with the structural and physical-chemistry features of the paper samples. The results revealed higher performance of the paper surface sized with only polyvinyl alcohol. Multivariate analysis demonstrates that hydrophilicity and roughness are properties particularly detrimental for gamut area.