I think that most of us have been hit with an unpleasant surprise when a Pantone ink color shifts after being UV or aqueous coated. As one example, Reflex Blue (arguably the most difficult color in printing) prints as dark blue but will dry with a reddish sheen that will not dry properly. To try and make it dry faster the printer might run it through the press a second time to apply a coating, either UV or Aqueous, to seal the ink. This causes an immediate color shift which will continue to shift over the course of a few days.The colors in the table below, as well as any spot color recipes that use them in the formula, will shift color (a.k.a. alkalinity burn) when subjected to the alkalinity of a aqueous or UV coating.
In order to avoid the costs involved with reprinting a spoiled job, when mixing and/or specifying PMS colors it's critical to inform your ink vendor that you will be aqueous or UV coating the job.Special thanks to Bob Peterson of Superior Ink for his contribution to this post.
Yes I was hit 2-3 times with Pantone colors (Reflex Blue) after UV coating in the past so we are very careful now when do this kind of printing. Not every time we have possibility to contact ink provider about type of coating the job.
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