Recycling of aged inkjet prints with nano technology based inks.

Paper recycling has become an imperative at the end of the life cycle of all paper products. The development of technological processes in printing technology is usually associated with innovations in printing presses, but significant contributions also occur in the use of new graphic materials. In this research special attention was given to new formulation of printing ink which is based on nanotechnology. The samples were printed on a digital inkjet printing press Kodak Prosper 6000C. The mentioned printing press is using Adaphos NIR® technology for drying inkjet prints. The significance of this method is important because it provides the possibility of printing newspapers, but due to the reduction of energy use, which contributes to the reduction of the carbon footprint and the greenhouse effect. Another notable reason to use the selected printing press is in the use of new inks formulation which is based on nanotechnology. Nano-sized inks particles provide important properties to the prints obtained, for example enabling higher optical densities, as well as volume of gamut. Due to the stated property, as well as due to a good comparison with the real conditions of recycling the printed samples were subjected to a process of accelerated aging. The process of accelerated aging was conducted at several different intervals in order to study the effect of accelerated aging on the properties of recycled laboratory paper sheets. The process of accelerated aging was simulated in a climate chamber under conditions of elevated temperature and humidity and without the influence of solar radiation. By changing the printing technique, using nanotechnology-based inks, the changes in the qualitative properties of recycled sheets of laboratory paper occur. Changes in qualitative properties are manifested in the changes in the optical properties of laboratory sheets of paper, which are studied in this scientific paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]