Effect of Paper Surface Properties on Coated Paper Wettability with Different Fountain Solutions

Abstract

Wetting of coated papers by isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-based fountain solutions or surfactant solutions was studied in this paper. Additionally, the effect of paper surface properties on wetting was analyzed. To that end, six fountain solutions were prepared. Three solutions had increasing amounts of IPA, and three were made from surfactant-based dampening agents. Eight commercial coated papers were selected and characterized in terms of roughness and surface free energy. Paper resistance to wetting by fountain solutions was evaluated by measuring the static and dynamic contact angles. Static contact angles between the paper surface and the IPA-based fountain solutions decreased as the alcohol concentration increased, whereas the wettability with surfactant-based fountain solutions was highly dependent on their surface tensions. Paper surface free energy strongly affects the static contact angle and only moderately affects the dynamic contact angle